Recurring Nightmare
by D.K.N
Summary: Celestia detects a disturbing development in the Everfree Forest, and sends the girls to investigate. Little do any of them know, it's the start of something far larger than they could ever have anticipated. Rating upped for violence in Ch. 3.
1. Chapter 1

Hi, all. In between updates of _Teana's Travels_, I felt like tossing out this little side project. Enjoy!

_My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic _is the property of Hasbro and the creation of the Great and Powerful Lauren Faust

**-**_**STORY START**_**-**

Spike opened the door, letting Applejack in. The orange-furred farmgirl walked in and took her place in the living room of the library/house.

"Is this everyone?" Twilight asked. She looked around; Rainbow Dash lazed on a beanbag chair, Pinkie Pie was fidgeting while seated on the floor next to her, Rarity sat on a plush cushion, Fluttershy sat next to Twilight herself, and Applejack stood near the path that led to the front door.

"We're all here, darling" Rarity said in her usual affected accent. "Now what was so important that you had to call us all here at such an hour?" She glanced at the clock, which presently read 8:15 pm. Outside, Luna's Moon shone its light upon the clear, cloudless night.

Twilight steeled herself. "I received an urgent letter from Princess Celestia, concerning something she sensed in the Everfree Forest. Girls… She sensed what felt like Nightmare Moon's energy signature, even though Princess Luna is still safe & sound at the castle with Celestia."

The other five girls went pale.

"H-How is this even possible?" Fluttershy squeaked out.

"I don't know" the violet mare replied, "but we need to check it out." She levitated a large box into the center of the room. "The Princess sent us our Elements of Harmony for this, just in case. Get them on and ready. We're heading out as soon as we can."

The Mane Six, with Spike in tow, left Twilight's library and soon reached the entrance to the forest near Fluttershy's cottage. Twilight and Rarity channeled magic into their eyes, improving their night-vision and allowing them to act as guides for the other five; they dared not risk a light-spark spell, lest they give away their approach to whomever or whatever they had come to find.

"Do we… have any idea what to expect to find?" Dash asked in a low voice.

"No" Twilight replied. "Not even Celestia could make out the fine details of what she sensed. Be prepared for anything, girls."

"Ahem"

"And boy"

"What if Nightmare Moon somehow came back as a separate pony from Luna?" Pinkie said. "I bet that's what it is."

"Come on now, Pinkie" Applejack said. "That don't make no sense."

"Since when does all magic make sense?" Spike replied, "especially dark magic?"

After several more minutes of cautious walking, they came across the old, overgrown pathway that led to the ruins of the Forest Palace, where they'd fought Nightmare Moon months ago. After some hesitation, they slowly began to walk along the path.

Suddenly, a large, black figure leapt from the darkness, landing on the path directly in front of them, about 20 feet away. The seven jumped back in surprise at the unnaturally-tall pony's sudden appearance. They took in the sight of this entity.

At first, they'd briefly thought that Nightmare Moon had indeed returned. However, upon closer inspection, this was clearly a different individual. Cold, violet eyes with slit pupils gazed upon them underneath a bronze helmet, and from a hole in said helmet a long, sharp horn jutted up and out. Instead of wings, the figure wore a billowing, dark purple cape. Bronze boots with violet gems covered her hooves, and her fur was a dark blue. In both appearance and magical signature, this was most definitely the same type of entity as Nightmare Moon. The girls' eyes were drawn to the tall figure's flank… and there, twisted and warped by darkness as it was, was a hauntingly familiar Cutie Mark. The seven stared in horror… and recognition.

"T…" Twilight stammered. "T…Trixie?"

"…**We are not Trixie**" the dark pony spoke in a deep, foreboding voice that caused a chill of fear to sweep through the ponies and dragon before her. "**Not anymore.****She who is known as Trixie has been completely consumed by loneliness, despair, and hopelessness, surrendered her Heart to the Darkness, and thus she and it have become Us. Thanks to you Element-bearers, she has become a part of something greater. ...Why not do the same? It is only natural. Soon, by Our hooves, this world will return to the primordial Darkness. All worlds begin in Darkness, and all so end. The Heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it, grows, consumes it. Such is its nature. In the end, every Heart returns to the Darkness from whence it came. Every light must fade; every Heart return to the Darkness.**"

"Wh… What are you?" Twilight whispered out.

"**We are The Darkness and Trixie as one. We… are Nightmare Azure. …If you wish to challenge us, come to the Forest Temple.**"

With that, Nightmare Azure disappeared in a sphere of pitch-black that somehow hurt to look directly at, space-time visibly rippling as the black breach closed itself. For several moments, it was silent and still.

"…She… lost herself to her inner Darkness just like Luna did a thousand years ago…" Applejack muttered. "But… loneliness and despair? That don't sound like the kinda reaction I expected from that braggart…"

"Maybe she was actin' tough to hide how hurt she was…" Dash muttered. 'Like I've done a few times…' she thought to herself.

"When Princess Luna gave into her own darkness a millennium ago," Twilight said, "it was because of 'hot' emotions – anger, jealousy, envy, frustration. Nightmare Moon was short-tempered and arrogant, and she also wasted time screwing around with us because she didn't see us as a threat. …I don't know what kind of Nightmare 'cold' negative emotions like despair or hopelessness could make…"

"And loneliness…" Pinkie cut in, sounding uncharacteristically serious. "I get it now… Trixie was lonely and sad the whole time. Those big grins and taunts were to hide that… maybe even from herself. I've seen this kinda thing before. Ponies who don't even consciously know they're suffering until it's too late… Like it was too late for Trixie. She's let her sadness swallow her up and turn her into a monster."

"So we'll purify her with the Elements" Fluttershy said. "And when Nightmare Azure is gone and there's just Trixie left, we'll get rid of that sadness. …Oh, u-unless you don't think we should, Applejack, Dash, Rarity…"

"What are you talking about, Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash almost shouted. "Sure, she was a loudmouth, but nopony deserves _this_! I'm not gonna wish a fate worse than death on someone just because they annoyed me!"

"I figured she had _some _good in her ever since she stood up to that Ursa when she coulda just cut n' run" Applejack added. "I figured that if she ever came back, I'd get to workin' on diggin' out that good and bringin' it up to the surface past the bad."

"While I admit to still being… a bit cross with her…" Rarity said, "Knowing the circumstances, I am more than willing to give her a chance. Especially if the poor thing really has been alone for a long time…"

"…Spike?"

"…Alright, I guess there _could _be some good in her…"

"Right!" Twilight said. "Let's go take out Nightmare Azure and save Trixie!"

The seven set out at best speed down the path, Spike riding on Applejack's back. They soon reach the location of the castle ruins…

…at least, they _used _to be ruins.

"Woah…" Applejack echoed everyone's sentiments.

(**MUSIC: **Kingdom Hearts 1 OST – "Hollow Bastion")

The castle had been at least partially rebuilt, and was now, though not quite to its original, centuries-past beauty, a tall, proud structure. Several large crystals, pulsing with black energy, were placed periodically. Their power flowed through the area, causing the entire castle to slowly, gradually repair itself, cracks mending themselves while blocks & columns floated back into place, and other such things.

"Azure's been busy…" Pinkie remarked.

"Well… let's get in there" Twilight said, leading the way. The others followed her up the steps and into the castle.

The advanced through the halls of the castle, eerily quiet other than their footsteps and the sounds of the auto-repair spells hard at work rebuilding the place.

"I wonder how long this has been going on," Spike said, "how long Trixie's been Nightmare Azure."

"Judging by the rate these auto-repair crystals are working, and what kind of shape the place is in now," Twilight replied, "I'd say it's been a month at the very least."

"But if she means to 'plunge the world into darkness', why has she been holed up here?" Fluttershy wondered.

"Maybe she's been biding her time, building up her strength" Dash replied. "Hell, maybe she still isn't ready to go world-crushing yet. Like, maybe finishing the restoration of this place is some important part of her plan or something."

"Well, according to ancient records this place was originally built 1,600 years ago atop a magical nexus" Twilight said. "Maybe Azure means to tap into that wellspring of power, but needs the castle to be in perfect shape to do so."

"Quiet" Applejack said suddenly. "Anyone else hear that?"

They all stopped walking, and (with the obvious exception of Spike) swiveled their ears forward. Ahead, closer to the huge doors at the far end of the long hallway they were currently walking down, there were strange noises coming from seemingly everywhere and nowhere. Furthermore, it looked as if the shadows were… writhing. As the seven cautiously moved closer, the shadows suddenly became completely pitch-black, absorbing all light that hit them. Then they became to change form, rising up and taking the shapes of ponies. Soon, the Element-Bearers (and Spike) were faced with a small horde of pitch-black creatures in the shape of ponies, their only features being glowing yellow eyes.

"What the Hell are these things?" Spike said.

"They're in our way is what they are!" Rarity shouted.

(**MUSIC: **Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep OST – "Black Garden")

The shadow-ponies began to move toward the seven, walking at first but soon breaking into charges. One charged ahead of the others, and got kicked in the face hard by Applejack. It flew backwards and disintegrated into black particles that then faded into nothingness. Three more came in, but Spike stepped up and then threw his head from right to left while breathing fire, unleashing a small "wave" of fire that engulfed and destroyed all three of them.

The seven spread out a little to meet the oncoming wave. Twilight formed several 'daggers' made of magical energy and fired them, cutting down a dozen of the shadows. Five charged Rarity head-on, only to be suddenly skewered as the ground beneath them became a set of large, impaling spikes of rock jutting up at high speed, glowing with Rarity's magical wavelength. Two charged at Fluttershy, but the prospect of a pony suffering if she did nothing overrode her fear, and she stood her ground. It was then that the shadows learned the hard way that, though she lacked in speed, Fluttershy was considerably above average amongst pegasi in terms of physical strength; her well-placed kicks sent them tumbling and dispelling. Spike darted about amongst the shadow-ponies, raking his claws along any weak points he saw while also shooting out occasionally streams or balls of fire. Pinkie and Applejack resorted to good old-fashioned Earth-Pony close combat, kicking and biting and slamming to take out any shadows within range. Rainbow Dash took to the air and began using sweeping dive-tackles to thin the herd of shadows, as well as using her speed & agility to disorient them.

The doors up ahead turned pitch black, as nearly two-dozen more shadow-ponies began phasing through it. Twilight saw this and turned to her assistant.

"Spike! Combat Combo 4!"

"Got it!"

Spike leapt to Twilight's side, and felt as her magic ran through his body, up to his head, and then mingled with the fireball building inside his mouth. He dug his clawed feet in as best he could, reared back, and then spat out a deceptively small, dense, and bright green fireball. It shot forward at great speed and impacted the black doors dead-center. Upon impact, there was a powerful green-and-white explosion that shook the ground and blew the huge metal doors to bits, along with the shadows trying to phase out from it. One shadow tried to leap onto Twilight from behind, only to be kicked away in midair, just before it could land on Twilight, by a rising double spring-kick by Pinkie, the party pony's forelegs planted on the ground directly behind Twilight, and her rear ones rocketing the shadow-pony into the ceiling, where it hit with a 'splat' and disintegrated into black particles.

"Don't even think 'bout messin' with the pink!" she shouted at the fading-from-existence black particles.

"C'mon!" Dash shouted as she and Rarity dealt with the last of the shadows in this hallway. She and AJ led the charge into the next room, which contained a spiral staircase leading up to the old throne room. The ponies and dragon began making their way up the staircase. As they moved, more shadow-ponies sprang to life ahead and behind them. Applejack and Rainbow Dash took out those ahead, while Fluttershy and Spike dealt with those who came from behind.

-MINDSCAPE-

She was cold. Cold and tired. Everything around her felt hazy. She couldn't truly feel her body at the moment. She felt crushing sorrow enveloping her. She strained to open even a single eye, but saw nothing but infinite blackness. No-one else anywhere near her. Alone. Still alone. Why did it hurt so bad being alone? …Oh dear, she'd forgotten her own name. What was it, now? T… Trista? No… Tarie? That wasn't it? Trixie? …Yes, that was it. That is… _was _her name. Trixie felt as the cold and loneliness enveloped her again. She hugged herself – at least, that's what she assumed she was doing, since she couldn't feel her body at the moment – and slipped into her own memories, some part of her trying to find at what point things went bad.

Her family… No, her family weren't to blame; she remembered that much. Her father… dead of that horrible disease when she was six. Big brother had been strong and young enough, and survived the disease. Poppa hadn't. Her older brother… kind, gentle, strong, so very smart, the only one of the family who seemed to ever pay attention to her without lumping her in with her two sisters. Her sisters… Her Celestia-damned sisters, Nixie a year older than her and Pixie a year younger, both bearing strong resemblance to her and to each other. They hurt Trixie out of ignorance, not deliberate malice; they hadn't _meant _to hurt her, and had they known they had done so they likely would've felt very guilty indeed. But they didn't know, and in their ignorance they'd hurt her. Her mother… always distracted by worries about everything, often too distracted to tell her physically-similar daughters apart. Trixie vaguely remembered her mother mentioned that once big brother got that job, the money he'd bring in would solve all their financial problems.

She remembered getting fed up with it all and running away at the age of 14, just two months before her big bro would've gotten an acceptance or rejection letter. She knew he would get the job. He was the smartest and most capable in the whole family, after all, and she'd heard the boss-guy who was looking for ponies to hire saying good things about her brother to his assistant. But he wouldn't miss her; neither would momma or her sisters. They wouldn't even notice she was gone…

Trixie was cold. Cold and tired…

-REALITY-

When the Mane Six and Spike reached the top and ran into the large, spacious throne room, it was suddenly quiet. No shadow-creatures waited for them here; only the single, tall figure of Nightmare Azure on the opposite side of the room, who slowly strode out onto the main floor area of the room.

"**So, bearers of the Elements, you choose to oppose us directly.**"

"Yes" Twilight spoke, standing form. "We come to stop your plot to drown the world in Darkness… and to save Trixie from the darkness you're keeping her in."

"**She is at our very core, curled up in a ball of pain, deaf and numb to the world. You cannot reach her.**"

"There is one way we can get to her."

"**Ah, yes. The vaunted Elements of Harmony. Surely a direct hit from them would vanquish us and free that broken little filly within us. Of course…**"

There was a blur of motion, and the seven heroes narrowly avoided the surprise attack by Nightmare Azure.

"…**that assumes that we give you the time to even activate them in the first place. Nightmare Moon froze in place out of terror; we shall **_**not **_**make the same mistake!**"

(**MUSIC: **KH BBS OST – "Black Powder" a.k.a. "Battle of Great Valor")

A burst of raw magic sent everyone flying away from Nightmare Azure. Dash, Pinkie, Spike, and Rarity managed to right themselves and land on their feet; Rarity was able to use her telekinesis to catch Twilight and Fluttershy and lower them safely to the ground. Applejack smashed into a wall, but being as absurdly tough as she was, she merely shook it off and got back on her feet. Rarity 'fired' a telekinetic shockwave at Nightmare Azure, who tanked it and then fired from the tip of her horn a black lightning-bolt at Rainbow Dash, who flash-stepped to the side with so little room to spare that the fur on her back stood on end. Twilight telekinetically lifted a large slab of stone, fragmented it, and then launched the various small fragments as a machinegun-esque barrage at Nightmare Azure. Azure countered with a unique shield spell – rather than a single solid half-dome, this was composed of multiple hexagons interlocking to form a half-dome. A few hits at the beginning got through and struck her, but by then the shield was up and protected her from the rest.

Within less than a second of Azure lowering the shield, a fireball from Spike struck her in the side. She hissed and growled, and the charred flesh on her side quickly regenerated as she diverted some of her considerable magical reserves to repairing the damage. She dodged to narrowly avoid a falling kick from Fluttershy, and returned the favor by striking the yellow Pegasus with a rising strike into her stomach, knocking the breath out of her, and then kicking her away hard enough to send her tumbling across the room, smashing into the stone-carved throne and shattering it. This turned out to be the wrong thing to do, as Pinkie's mane and tail went completely flat as a look of genuine rage came across her face. At the same time, Twilight and Rarity flared with angry magical auras, fury in their eyes; the rock floor at Rarity's feet began to crumble, sharp stones breaking free and circling her in an airborne orbit, while Twilight's body began to smolder and the air immediately around her became wavy with heat.

Distracted as she was by them, Azure failed to notice Applejack until the Earth Pony's kick impacted Azure's jaw; had she been a normal, mortal pony, her jawbone would have shattered. As it was, the strike sent her tumbling before she regained footing. She channeled magical energy through her body to increase her strength and speed further, but she still barely reacted in time to block a worryingly powerful foreleg thrust strike (known to us bipeds as a "punch") at her throat from Pinkamena, who let out a very un-pony-like growl.

-MINDSCAPE-

Still going through her own memories, Trixie remembered her defense mechanism – a sharp, abrasive persona to keep the world at bay and – more importantly – to grab attention. Becoming "The Great and Powerful", dressing in that flashy hat and cape, calling attention to herself as an individual, rather than as an impoverished nobody who couldn't even be told apart from her siblings. No more feeling like she didn't really exist as an independent entity. She'd make her daddy and big brother proud, even if neither of them would ever know. She remembered how, over the years, her 'act' was refined, and as she got more and more into it, she had gradually started to forget who she really was; she was becoming the mask. And all the while, feeling the ever-growing sensation that back then she couldn't place, but she now knew was that pain of friendless loneliness.

Trixie was tired. She felt almost like something wanted her to be 'awake', but she couldn't quite place it, and the pain she felt precluded any attempts to come out of this dark cold.

-REALITY-

Still slightly wobbly, Fluttershy nonetheless waved off Rainbow Dash, getting to her feet and circling around Nightmare Azure. Upon seeing her friend alright, Pinkie's mane & tail poofed up a bit, but not to their normal state; rather, it was an odd halfway point between 'normal' and flat. Twilight launched a Fireball spell at Azure, who again conjured a shield to block it.

"Girls, Spike!" she called out. "Keep her busy for me! Gonna try something!"

Twilight then retreated off to a corner, using her telekinesis to shape the ground into a barricade between her and the fight. She then closed her eyes and reached out with her heart. Telepathy was a very rare skill. Celestia had tried her hardest to teach Twilight how to do it, but so far Twilight could not telepathically communicate over distances more than about 100 feet, and even then she had only really figured out how to do it with Celestia, whose magical energy signature was too powerful to ignore; most ponies' life-force was "drowned out" by the planet's ambient magical energy. This circumstance was completely different, but no less difficult; in fact, perhaps it was harder. However, this could be their only hope…

-MINDSCAPE-

'…_xie…_'

Still curled up in hopelessness and loneliness, in that empty black realm, Trixie's ears twitched (if she _had _ears in here, for all she knew) as she heard another voice. But that was impossible, wasn't it? She was all alone in this darkness. All alone… as she always had been…

'_Trixie…_'

Why did that voice sound so familiar? The image of a flash of purple light filled Trixie's mind's eye for a brief moment.

'_Trixie! Can you hear me?_'

"W…Who?" she managed to rasp out.

'_-light Spar-Twil-kle! From Po-le! -nyvi-! D-u reme-me?_'

"T…Twi…light… Sp-"

And all at once, memories came rushing back to Trixie clear as day. The quaint little town Ponyville at the foot of Canterlot Mountain. The two little idiots who lured a cranky Ursa Minor into town, expecting Trixie to fight it off. Trixie's long-buried selflessness coming to the front as she futilely tried to defend this random town and its people for reasons she couldn't quite comprehend. The failure… and the following successful pacification of the bear by the bookish, obscenely powerful purple unicorn named

"Twilight Sparkle! I remember!"

More memories came rushing in: her retreat from the town and into the Everfree Forest, feeling completely humiliated, outcast, _worthless_, _alone_; still feeling the angry stares of the townsfolk that may or may not have been just her imagination (in hindsight, at least _some _of those glares must have been directed at those two little simpletons who woke the damn thing up and lured it into town); all her anger at that other unicorn changing course, being directed inward at herself; her years-old façade breaking, along with the dam holding back her long-suppressed fears of not standing out, not being good enough at anything, not being _anyone_; slowly starving, lost in the Everfree Forest without knowing what was or wasn't safe to eat, and not willing to take the chance; her self-esteem and self-image breaking down as she spent more and more time in that goddesses-damned forest.

She remembered the shadow with glowing-red eyes, how it tempted her with a way to save her from the pain; how she had lost the will to refuse, to fight back, to _live_, and then… and then… darkness.

"Twi…light… What's h-happen…"

'_You've become a Nightmare! Just like what happened to Princess Luna 1,000 years ago! Nightmare Azure – __**your **__mutated body - is fighting us right now! Wake up, Trixie! Fight back! Are you gonna let the Great and Powerful You be controlled like this?-!_'

"I'm… not great or powerful. I never was. Just some stupid little girl who… didn't realize her lot in life was to suffer in anonymity. No importance. No power. No ponies I can trust. No… No friends…"

'_That doesn't have to be true anymore! Let us help you! Let __**me **__help you! Please! I'm sorry about what that night did to you! Ever since that night, I… I… __**I want to be your friend!-!**_'

Trixie felt complete shock overtake her maybe-or-maybe-not-there body, along with a tightness in her chest, one that, to her great surprise, _wasn't _painful.

"…What… did you…say?"

'_I want to be your friend, Trixie! Hang out with you, read books together, tell each other stories and jokes, help each other with magic, sleepovers, spa trips, enjoying each other's company! I want you and me to be friends! But that can't happen if you don't __**fight back!-!-! **__Nightmare Azure will kill millions of ponies… any one of whom would probably enjoy being your real self's friend! Including me! So come on, Trixie!-! For the sake of __**your friends!-!**__**FIGHT BACK!-!-!-!**_'

-REALITY-

"**Enough of this!**"

Binds of dark magical energy wrapped around Applejack, who had just kicked Nightmare Azure in the ribs hard enough to cave a mortal's chest in, holding her in place. Nightmare Azure began to charge a frighteningly large amount of magical power…

When suddenly her body froze up, her attack diminishing and the binds shattering.

"**What's… happening to me?-!**"

There was a gasp for air nearby as Twilight came out of her trance.

"She's done it!" Twilight shouted. "Trixie's fighting back! Azure can't do anything! Girls, get your Elements ready! Now's our chance!-!"

Each of the other five ponies gathered in a circle, their Element necklaces ready, all of them facing the paralyzed Nightmare Azure. Twilight leapt into the center of the circle, catching her Element crown as Spike threw it to her and donning it. As one, the six gems began to glow with a brilliant white light, brightening further with each passing second. As Nightmare Azure was left incapable of doing anything, she realized: Nightmare Moon hadn't frozen in terror; she'd been paralyzed by Luna fighting back from within… just as Trixie was doing now. And as she saw Twilight Sparkle's eyes open and stare at her, glowing with magical power, she knew she was about to meet the same fate as her predecessor.

There was a loud bang and a brilliant flash of light, as a six-colored beam of Holy magic shot forth, straight at Nightmare Azure. It enveloped her completely, and she screamed as her dark body was ravaged by the Light of the Elements. In an explosion of color and light, Nightmare Azure ceased to exist.

The girls came down from where they'd been floating in the air, their bodies returning to normal as their Elements returned to dormancy. They cautiously walked over to the prone body lying on the floor amidst the clearing smoke. Trixie lay on the floor, eyes closed. She was unhealthily thin, her ribs cleanly visible; before her transformation, she'd gone far too long in the forest without any food. But a quick check by Fluttershy confirmed she was still alive.

"Who woulda thought the darkness in a pony's heart could cause such trouble if all the stuff holdin' it back fails?" Applejack muttered to herself.

"Well, it's gone now" Rainbow Dash said. "She's free."

Trixie managed to slowly crack open an eye. Her vision was filled with a purple unicorn with a warm smile on her face.

"Rise and shine, my friend" Twilight said in a gentle tone.

'_My friend_'. Exhausted as she was, Trixie still managed to pull her mouth into a small smile, as a tear fell from her eye.

"Thank you…" she whispered.

As Applejack carefully maneuvered the half-dead mare onto her back, preparing to carry her back to Ponyville, no-one noticed the ethereal black mist sneaking its way out through the window and out into the darkness…

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**


	2. Chapter 2

Here we go. The nightmare's not over yet…

A "T" rating allows _one _f-word usage, right?

And in this fic, I say _on _Equestria instead of _in _Equestria because my personal canon is that "Equestria" is the name of the planet.

This chapter came out MUCH longer than I anticipated; I worked to flesh out the fight scenes, and got much more than I had at first anticipated. Not that I'm complaining…

Also, let me just say: GOD DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN YOU, AUGMENTED REALITY TRAINING (specifically, the Advanced courses)!-!-!-!-! _TO PROPERLY CONVEY MY EMOTIONS REGARDING THESE WOULD REQUIRE MAKING SOUNDS THE HUMAN VOICE BOX IS PHYSICALLY INCAPABLE OF PRODUCING!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-! _I lack the skills for it! I have always lacked the skills for it! I always _will _lack the skills for it!-! The Achievement is a 100% humanly impossible thing, and anyone who gets it is either superhuman or an avatar of God Himself!-!-!

I had to abandon said venture permanently before I gave myself an aneurysm or something. I'm not kidding; around the 25th "Augmented Reality Training failed", I was so angry I could literally feel something throbbing in my head.

MID-CHAPTER UPDATE: The news of Hasbro's removing of old episodes from YouTube has greatly soured my mood. My attempts to watch the show on The Hub's website met with a black, blank box where the video was supposed to be, no matter what I tried or how long I waited. It is highly likely that I won't be able to watch the show anymore, seeing as I don't wake up early enough on Saturdays to catch new episodes. With time, without ponies, my bronyhood will wither, fade, and die like an un-watered plant. This may or may not happen before I can get Chapter 3 made… and even if it doesn't, my depression over this may kill all desire to see this story through to completion. If this turns out to be the last chapter, I am sorry.

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

The previous few months had been… eventful. Trixie had been accepted by most of the Ponyville populace without too much trouble, especially once they'd seen what kind of shape she was in, both physically and mentally. The doctors got her on a meticulously-planned diet that soon got her back up to a healthy weight. Now that she'd finally dropped her defenses and allowed herself to make friends, she was happier than she ever remembered being in her whole life. Of all the ponies, she seemed particularly close to Twilight (whom she now lived with) and – oddly enough – Fluttershy. She'd joined them at the Gala… and witnessed the ensuing spectacle, though she managed to avoid getting caught in things until the final burst of chaos that accompanied Fluttershy's freak-out. However, she'd been sick with influenza during Discord's brief chaos, and had thus been unable to help in defeating him (though she had convinced the 'Discorded' Twilight to read the stack of letters that poor Spike had been made to receive, setting into motion the events that led to Discord's downfall and resealing). Trixie had also been instrumental in stopping Twilight's OCD breakdown before it could get off the ground, since she was right there when Twilight started coming unhinged over not having sent her weekly report to Celestia.

Most of the gang's little adventures were insignificant, slice-of-life events. They assumed that the "Mare-Do-Well" incident – a little something to get Rainbow Dash to accept a little humility and grace – would be just another Friendship Report and footnote. Unfortunately, they severely underestimated how bad Dash would take it, and failed to take into account how the townsfolk would react.

Rainbow Dash's reputation was shot to hell. What's more, she'd lost essentially all trust in most of her friends for what they'd done. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Trixie had been roped into it, so they were cool. But Applejack and Rarity had gleefully gone along with it… and Twilight had been the ringleader in their little plot to utterly humiliate and destroy her. They'd _betrayed _her. And now, damn near the entire town had lost any and all respect for her, seeing her as a useless braggart who'd never be a proper hero. …And the more she thought about it, the more she delved into her own self, the more she realized they were right. She was always coming up short, always screwing up, never being quite fast enough or strong enough or smart enough or… good enough.

Over the days – nearly two weeks – of stewing in her own negative emotions, and being subjected to the townsfolk's harsh and unforgiving opinions, Dash's resentment and bitterness grew and grew, as her sense of self-worth and her faith in her herself and her abilities became less and less. She became reclusive, locking herself away in her house for most of the day, only coming out for quick food runs (pegasi had the highest metabolisms out of the three subspecies of pony, and Dash's need for sustenance was greater than average for a pegasus, so her 'food-runs' were actually relatively frequent, each of them leaving her open to the town-ponies' ridicule, insults, and such).

Of course, by this point Dash herself was starting to come apart, and though plenty of ponies were certainly saying mean things to and about her, there were also multiple instances where somepony said something totally innocuous but Dash took/interpreted it the wrong way, or when they meant something mean, but Dash took it as far meaner than it was actually meant to be.

One night, after a particularly bad day involving more ponies than usual hitting her with comments of a rare harshness, Rainbow Dash was lying on her bed, curled up but awake, lost in dark thoughts. Suddenly, she heard a sound that came from everywhere and nowhere. She looked over to her window, as through it a black mist flowed into her room.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

The next morning was quite overcast and cloudy, the gray clouds covering the sky near-completely. Rainbow Dash, though nearly always doing so later than she should have, was the one who did most of the heavy lifting in terms of pegasus weather control. With her recent reclusiveness and locking herself away, the few other pegasi on weather control duty were hard-pressed to pick up the slack, and in fact weren't able to get all of the clouds, allowing them to build up over the last 15 days. Now, the leftover clouds had combined with a cloud-bank that had blown in from the east, completely shrouding the sky. What's more, these clouds were a dark grey, like one would expect from a storm.

Over the course of a few hours, the inhabitants of Ponyville noticed as the clouds merged into a single, massive cloud large enough to cover the entire town and then some, and had turned from a gray to almost black. Ponyville was now directly underneath the mother of all storm clouds. And Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be found. Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, Trixie, Fluttershy, and Rarity were gathered in Twilight's library, one of the sturdiest buildings in the town, and hoping that staying in it would be enough.

"Has anyone seen Dash?" Twilight asked. "Her cloud-home isn't a safe place to be in this level of storm; she should know that."

"Oh, _now _you're concerned about her…" Pinkie muttered angrily, her mane & tail deflating slightly. Twilight winced; Pinkie was, of course, still very, very angry over what Twilight's plan had done to "her" Dashie. Twilight had already been subjected to a full-blown, vicious chewing-out from Pinkamena; she really didn't feel like going through another one.

"Pinkie, I've _always _been concern-"

"Stop" Trixie interrupted. "Both of you, shut up now before you get started again."

Initially, opinions on the "Mare-Do-Well" idea of Twilight's had been divided; Applejack had been all for it, Pinkie and Fluttershy had been rather against it, only going along because Twilight badgered them into it, Trixie had been against it but kept her mouth shut, but also refused to participate in any way, and Rarity had gone along with it but had secretly felt that it was too much. Over the last few weeks, even Applejack had changed her tune upon seeing how badly it had affected Dash and her reputation. Twilight herself had been hit hard by just how badly her little plan to teach Dash some much-needed humility had backfired, and the fact that the pegasus' reputation was left in tatters had caught her completely by surprise.

"If I have to, I c-can fly up there and see if she's alright…" Fluttershy suggested.

"I don't think that would be wise, dear" Rarity replied. "If a storm of this magnitude unleashed itself before you could get to a safe point, you could get seriously hurt, maybe even killed."

Before anyone else could say anything, a sphere of light formed in the center of the room. It grew to about eight feet across, and then vanished to reveal two very important and unexpected guests: Celestia and Luna.

"Girls…" Celestia said with an unusually serious tone. "Something is very wrong. This storm is not natural by any stretch of the imagination. It carries the magical signature of Nightmares Moon and Azure."

After several seconds of shocked silence, Rarity spoke up. "So somepony else has been taken by their own darkness?"

"Indeed" Luna said. "This storm is a manifestation of their power. It has been supercharged by dark magic. When it activates, it will be capable of causing catastrophic damage.

"Where is Rainbow Dash?" Celestia asked.

"Twilight broke her spirit," Pinkie said with a sharp tone, "and she's hardly ever been seen outside of her home since it happened."

"…Twilight, please explain."

"Um…"

The six mortal ponies suddenly felt as Luna, never one for patience, psychically reached into their minds and went over the relevant information manually, passing it on to Celestia at the same time. When she was done, she glared at Twilight.

"That is _not _how the situation should have been handled!" she snapped at the violet unicorn, who withered under her gaze and her own guilt.

Celestia let out a weary sigh. "We'll discuss your mistakes later, Twilight. Right now, Rainbow Dash must be found. Only the Harmony Elements can purify a Nightmare Pony."

Suddenly, there was a near-deafening thunderclap from outside, accompanied by a brilliant bolt of black-tinged violet lightning. The group ran to the front door, opened it, and had a look outside. The storm had awakened; fierce, tearing winds blew throughout the town, the ground was pelted by strong, heavy rain that randomly alternated between freezing cold and near-scalding hot, and massive bolts of black-and-violet lightning ripped across the sky, occasionally striking things on the ground with devastating results.

Celestia, looking as serious as she had when Discord broke free, turned to the group. "You all must find Dash immediately! Luna, go with them; assist in the search, and if you all encounter the Nightmare before Dash is found your power will be the only thing capable of matching it."

"Understood, sister. But what about you?"

"I have to stay here and do whatever I can to protect Ponyville's citizens. I'm going to gather everyone I can find in one location and then cast the strongest shield spell I can to protect them all."

"But how can you get everypony together in time?" Pinkie asked.

"We'll help with that."

Everyone looked at the sudden arrival of a force of Royal Guards, along with the entire Wonderbolts line-up.

"We'll assist the Princess in gathering everyone and in damage control" Soarin said. "You girls go do what you gotta do."

"Twilight Sparkle," Luna said to the girl, "I will cast a group levitation spell on you all… Yes, even you, Miss Fluttershy; I can fly while telekinetically carrying you faster than you can fly under your own power. Twilight, you will need to cast a shield-barrier around us to shield us from the storm as we fly to it. Also, I will need your directions to Miss Dash's dwelling."

After a few moments of preparation, which included grabbing and donning their Elements of Harmony, as well as Rarity insisting on fetching a pair of saddlebags she called her "Bags of Holding", which Twilight & Trixie could feel were enchanted by a "Bigger on the Inside" charm, the group clustered together around Luna. The younger princess' horn glowed, and the deep-blue magical energy enveloped the six mortals present. Twilight's horn glowed, and a magenta-hued, spherical shield encapsulated them all as they rose up off the ground. The floating sphere of ponies then shot off into the air, disappearing into the raging clouds.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

The pony-filled sphere of magic cut through the thick black clouds, making best speed for Dash's cloud-home. Soon, it was in view. Unfortunately, though, it seemed that the enemy had found it as well; it had been transformed into a huge black fortress, wreathed in lightning and with huge spikes of violet-tainted ice jutting out of it.

"The Nightmare must have Dash hostage!" Applejack shouted.

"This could complicate things…" Luna muttered.

As the sphere approached the now-massive front door, it picked up speed and was reinforced by Luna's power. It punched through the barricade, taking its occupants inside. Luna cast a cloud-walking spell on Twilight, Trixie, Rarity, Applejack, & Pinky, and then set the shield-bubble down, having Twilight dispel it. Unlike the lair of Nightmare Azure, which had been crawling with low-level hostiles, this place seemed to be deserted.

"Let us move quickly but cautiously" Luna commanded.

They made their way through the opening hall, up a staircase with steps made of ice, and to the same floor that Rainbow Dash's room was on. As they advanced down the hallway on this floor, however, there was a sudden, three-dimensional pulse of magical energy radiating out from ahead. Twilight recognized it as a scanning spell, made to detect any sapient life within a certain radius of its user. It washed over the group before they could react; if the Nightmare Pony didn't know they were he before, it did now. What was unexpected, however, was Trixie and Luna suddenly stumbling as a pulse of pain wracked their heads.

"Trixie!" "Your Majesty!"

"I… I remember now…" Luna said. "I remember what it did to me…"

"What do you mean?"

"The memories behind my Nightmare transformation," Trixie said, "and apparently Princess Luna's, were… blocked. But that pulse of a Nightmare Pony's energy seemed to have awakened it. …It probably wasn't supposed to happen – a former Nightmare and a current Nightmare in close proximity."

"So what's there to remember?" Applejack asked. "Y'all both got corrupted by your Hearts' darkness, and-"

"No" Luna interrupted. "That is not what happened. It was something else. The corruption came from _outside_."

"The thing that corrupted Princess Luna and turned her into Nightmare Moon…" Trixie continued, "was the exact same thing that turned me into Nightmare Azure. And that thing… is sapient."

"What?-!" Rarity shouted. "You mean it's _alive_?-!"

"According to this information on it I received when it was merged with me, its name translates in our language as 'Nightmare'" Luna said. "It found this world approximately 1,300 years ago. I was its first host on this world… but not its first ever host."

"It's… not from this world?" Fluttershy asked with fear and shock.

"No" Trixie replied. "It's a daemon, similar to Discord and yet vastly different… a malevolent abomination that's been corrupting and then possessing sapient beings all over the whole galaxy for over 200,000 years."

"It seeks out thinking beings when they are at their most emotionally vulnerable," Luna explained, "tempts them while using its dark powers to psychically twist and amplify their darker emotions, until they are vulnerable to corruption and possession. It has done this to countless beings during its long existence."

The group took several seconds in silence as they processed this startling new info. They were fighting something that had been around longer than _Equus sapiens _had even existed. Suddenly, there was a horrified gasp from Pinkie, whose mane and tail visibly deflated as she talked.

"If it seeks out ponies at their lowest moments... and Rainbow has been really down... lately..." Her eyes went wide as fear and horrified realization entered them, and she went pale. "Oh no... No... No, Please _No... DASHIE_!-!-!"

Faster than they'd ever seen her move, Pinkie took off sprinting toward the large door at the other end of the hall, as for the rest of them it finally sank in what might really be happening. Realizing the gravity of the situation, they all took off right behind her, Luna firing a concussive blast that blew the door down. They raced through the dust and into the large chamber that Dash's bedroom had become.

"**You all took longer than expected.**"

They froze as a figure leapt down from above, landing before them… and as they took a good look at her – deep-blue coat, slit-pupil red eyes, black wings crackling with violet electricity, wild hair in seven shades of gray and faded purple, and a corrupted Cutie Mark consisting of a dark-gray cloud with black lightning coming from it – their worst fears were realized.

"No…" Pinkie let out a tiny, horrified whisper. "Dash…"

"**Rainbow Dash cannot hear you right now. We are Nightmare Maelstrom.**"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

Down below, Celestia stood firm, a serious look on her face, as a translucent dome-shaped energy shield encapsulated her and the many Ponyville inhabitants that had gathered or been gathered here, blocking out the powerful winds and freezing & near-scalding rain, and blocking the black lightning bolts. A hoof-picked team led by Nurse Redheart and Celestia's own Royal Guard's medic Iron Gaze tended to those wounded by the hellish storm. Suddenly, a "packet" of knowledge transferred to her, sent by Luna. As the information on Nightmare's nature and Rainbow Dash's current fate hit her, Celestia felt that things couldn't possibly be worse, for the Elements of Harmony were needed to defeat Nightmare… and one of the bearers of said Elements was Nightmare's current host. Only Celestia herself could equal Nightmare Maelstrom in power, and she was far too busy keeping the townsfolk alive to join the incoming battle. Thus… there may in fact have been nothing they could do…

_-__**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

"This is bad…" Luna muttered. "The six Elements are needed to purify a Nightmare host… so Nightmare possessed an Element-bearer to prevent that…"

"H-how could this have happened?" Fluttershy let out in a despaired tone.

"C…C'mon, Dash" Applejack called out. "Y'all are gonna let this thing take ya just like that? What happened to the best, fastest pegasus on Equestria? Aren't y'all always sayin' you're the best? How could ya let this happen?"

"**Don't bother, farmer**" Nightmare Maelstrom said. "**The one called Rainbow Dash is lost to darkness – her self-image and confidence utterly shattered, bitterness and loneliness swallowed her heart, the pain of betrayal overwhelmed her, convinced that every single pony down there in town feels naught but contempt and disgust toward her… all thanks to you ponies; your breaking of her spirit enabled us to become one, to become Nightmare Maelstrom. Your accursed Harmony Elements cannot help you now that one of them is a part of me. Tell me… How does it feel knowing that, in your attempt-gone-horribly-wrong to humble your friend, you personally enabled the creation of that which will destroy you?**"

Twilight's legs felt weak as the full ramifications of her mistake finally hit her, coming out in a shaky, horrified whisper:

"…What have I done? Rainbow…" Her eyes, now cast down to the floor, began to tear up. "I'm so sorry…"

Before anyone could react, a field sprang up around Luna, catching her (and everyone else except Maelstrom) by surprise. She tried to call forth magic, but it was drained away as fast as she summoned it. She tried to manually force her way out of it, and it bounced her back with a ripple.

"**No interference from you, my former host**" Nightmare Maelstrom said; Luna glared at the possessed pony, eyes glowing blue, but could do nothing.

"**Now then… Before I choose whether or not to deign to fight you all myself, I believe I shall see just how strong you are without your precious Elements. …You know, my Moon self - incompetent though she was - had one good idea over my Azure self when it comes to underlings.**"

"And what would that be?" Rarity asked. Nightmare Maelstrom grinned, her fangs bared.

"**Quality over quantity.**"

Six swirling columns of black energy formed between Maelstrom and the six mortal ponies, soon coalescing into six pegasi with dark-purple flight-suits with black muzzles and leggings, dark-grey coats and wings, midnight-blue manes & tails, and glowing-yellow eyes partially hidden by goggles.

"**Now, my Shadowbolts, strike them down!**"

(MUSIC: Mass Effect 2 _Kasumi: Stolen Memory _OST – "Making Our Escape")

The six elite shadow-ponies all gave feral grins and then charged at the Mane Six, each of them picking a target. As each of them got close enough to their intended targets, each pony-and-Shadowbolt pair was encapsulated in a roiling black-and-violet dome that was, from the outside, about five feet across. The still-imprisoned Luna stared in shock at the half-dozen half-spheres spaced across the room near her.

"**Those pocket realms will give you all more space to move about in than this little room, give my Shadowbolts room to fly, and most importantly will prevent you mortals from helping each other.**"

-TWILIGHT-

After leaping out of the charging Shadowbolt's path, Twilight looked around, finding herself in a realm where everywhere she looked was a roiling, shifting barrier of black and violet. She sent out a navigation pulse, determining that the area was somehow 65 meters across and 65 meters high. She quickly deduced that she'd been placed in some tiny pocket dimension. Her thoughts were cut short as the Shadowbolt came at her from the left. Twilight barely ducked under what was a clothesline strike aimed at her neck, and lashed out with a telekinetic strike strong enough to shatter a quarter-ton boulder, but the Shadowbolt – now identifiable as a female-form version – dodged the blast. She came in for another attack, but Twilight summoned a swirling disk made of fire in front of her – something that she had come up with during the "escalating war" of spell development between her, Trixie, and Rarity – and the 'bolt pulled up to avoid smashing into it, flying over and past Twilight again.

Twilight then telekinetically threw the disk after the shadow-pegasus like a large shuriken. The Shadowbolt ducked, dove, climbed, and banked with the lifeforce-seeking fire-disk in hot pursuit, trying to shake it off. She changed course, dove, and then leveled off a few feet off the ground, racing straight at Twilight. Much to the dark being's disappointment, when she pulled up, leaving the fire-disk heading towards its master, Twilight dispelled the attack milliseconds before it could hit her, leaving her unharmed. However, the Shadowbolt took the brief opportunity she saw, pulling a high-g turn and tackling Twilight in the side before she could react. Twilight rolled with the blow, but it still hurt. She glared at the circling shadow-pegasus, and lashed out with another telekinetic strike, which struck a glancing blow on her foe, sending her spiraling only to regain control and pull up before hitting the ground. She hovered and growled at Twilight, before charging in again.

-FLUTTERSHY-

Fluttershy barrel-rolled to avoid the Shadowbolt's tackle, keeping an eye on her foe. From what she'd gathered, this guy wasn't the fastest, toughest, or hardest-hitting of pegasi, but he was a respectable average in all three fields. When she was serious – like now – Fluttershy could fly a little above the average for pegasi in terms of speed and agility, so she'd been able to avoid most of his attacks. However, she had yet to be able to land a solid hit on him either, partly due to her innate dislike of fighting leading her to subconsciously hold back, and partly because he was just fast enough to avoid her strikes; so far, she'd only landed about three glancing blows, while she had taken the same from him. (At least she wasn't trying her usual method of trying to convince her foe not to fight; she was quite aware that she was fighting a pure-evil artificial being literally made of darkness.)

The Shadowbolt came around for another pass, lashing out with a foreleg strike, a right cross that caught Fluttershy across the chin, snapping her head to the side. However, the girl wrapped her tail around her foe's leg and turned the momentum imparted by her foe's punch into a spin that quickly led to her throwing him down toward the ground, where he impacted with not-insignificant force. Fluttershy landed, using a foreleg to check her face. No blood, but it would definitely bruise. The Shadowbolt pulled himself back up. He growled at her and shook off the pain in his back, and charged her again.

-RARITY-

Rarity stood back from her foe, staring him down. The contents of her bags now floated free around her: gems of various type, shape, and size, all uniquely attuned to her magic to allow easier manipulation. They served as her weapons both offensive and defensive in this fight, obeying her every thought to strike at him or block his strikes. …A few shattered gems on the floor showed the effects of the latter. For a pegasus, he was rather large, his muscled form poorly concealed by the bodysuit worn over it. He was also rather slow for a pegasus, enough that she could evade nearly all of his attacks, and didn't take to the air that often. The problem was that he was _very _strong, and _very _durable. Every one of the few blows of his that did land was enough to shatter her Jewel Shield in a single blow – something that only Applejack had ever done before – and he shrugged off every one of the multiple blows she had landed thus far, blocking most of them and tanking the few he didn't or couldn't block. Rarity didn't want to think about what might happen if he landed a direct, un-softened blow on her body.

He made the next move, charging straight toward her while flapping his wings to give himself a speed boost, exactly what Fluttershy did whenever she needed to cover a lot of ground quickly without flying. As he got close, Rarity made a dodge-feint to the left, and he fell for it and responded accordingly, but then she sprang to the right, avoiding his charge. He responded by taking off, flying up and circling over her like a vulture. She 'fired' a barrage of sharpened rubies, and he swerved through the air, avoiding most of them. Most of the rest that hit him simply bounced off. But Rarity, with her keen eyes (a necessity for a mare in her line of work), noticed that as three ruby-darts looked to be heading for somewhere on his midsection, he took the time to block them with his foreleg, and they lodged into the not-flesh of that limb. He growled and shook his foreleg, dislodging the rubies. He had taken a damaging hit on his leg to avoid the attacks from hitting somewhere else on his body.

"Curious…" Rarity muttered as the rubies telekinetically returned to her side. It was time for a little trial-and-error…

-APPLEJACK-

As soon as the fight had really started, Applejack had realized it would be tough. _Really _tough, for this dark pegasus seemed to be as fast as Rainbow Dash, darting in and landing blows, and then flashing away before Applejack could land a return strike. Times like this she lamented that Apple Clan ponies, while renowned for their strength, stamina, and durability, weren't exactly known for their speed. Fortunately, though, the Shadowbolt couldn't hit very hard, so the many blows she'd landed on Applejack so far didn't do much individually, and from the looks of her she probably wouldn't be able to take much punishment. But a hundred insect bites add up. AJ knew she couldn't keep enduring those little hits forever. But what else could she do? She had to… She had to calm down, that's what she had to do. She took a deep breath and planted herself firmly in one spot.

"What's wrong, mud-walker?" the Shadowbolt shouted in a derisive tone. "Can't keep up?" This was followed by a malicious cackle.

Applejack ignored the taunt, tuned out and ignored the occasional light blows that struck her, and focused, remembering the things her big brother had said that one time when his army buddies came to visit him. She moved her hat back and let it hang from the back of her neck by the drawstrings, closed her eyes, steadied her breathing, flicked her ears about, and waited…

-PINKIE-

The Shadowbolt who had chosen to go after Pinkie soon realized she had gotten more than she bargained for. In contrast to the bits of memory her Creator had given her of a bubbly, hyperactive pony who was always playing around regardless of circumstances, the pink-furred girl was eerily calm, her mane and tail near-totally deflated and an uncharacteristic, dead-serious look in her eyes. Pinkie was genuinely upset and angry, and in no mood for her usual games. This was a problem for the Shadowbolt, for instead of messing around and moving about Pinkie was staying within a small area, patiently waiting for each of the 'bolt's moves. This particular Shadowbolt was the second fastest of the six, and she copied her faster sibling's methods. Unfortunately for her, the earth-pony was now applying her Pinkie Sense to combat, using it to predict each and every one of the Shadowbolt's attacks and respond accordingly.

Pinkie was in the zone, letting her body do the talking for her and responding to its warnings. Two left-ear flicks and a tingle halfway up her left forearm; she raised the limb to block a sideways chop from the dark pegasus, who blitzed away when she realized she'd been foiled again. A crawling sensation on the bottoms of her rear legs' hooves; she leapt straight up, dodging a low-altitude flying tackle. While in midair, a twinge of pain on the back of her neck on the left side, followed immediately by a sensation like being touched by an ice cube just above the base of her tail and then an itch on her right elbow; she twisted to the left in midair, moving her right foreleg in a different direction and feeling the whoosh of air as the attack that had been aimed at her right shoulder missed entirely, and she returned to the ground. She took a bipedal stance, and responded to another Sense cue by twisting out of the way of a punch aimed at her face, grabbing hold of her foe by the wingtip, and pulling her into an elbow strike to the side of the head. The Shadowbolt felt dizzy, and barely managed to flash-step away before a stomp aimed at her knee could hit.

The Shadowbolt took to the air, flying in random patterns all around Pinkie, trying to confuse whatever was allowing the other pony to predict her attacks. After building up as much speed and momentum as she could, she made a final lunge at Pinkie… who had already dropped onto her back and readied her rear legs. Before the Shadowbolt could even open her mouth to curse in surprise, the double rising kick impacted her _hard _in the torso; ribs made of solid darkness cracked, and she was launched upward in an arc, landing with a thud several meters away. As she tried to pull herself up, Pinkie walked over and stood on top of her.

"I won't let anyone or anything stop me from saving my Dashie…" the pink pony said in a low tone. "Especially not _you_."

Her Element of Harmony necklace glowed, and so did the hoof of her right forearm, which was now raised overhead, as magical power flowed into and through it. Before the Shadowbolt could do anything, Pinkie cried out and struck downward. The blow reduced the Shadowbolt's head into its constituent raw-darkness particles, and the rest of the shadow-pony's body dissolved soon afterward.

-TRIXIE-

Contrary to the stereotype involving unicorns, Trixie was not physically weak at all. In fact, she was quite strong (a combination of genetics – an earth-pony father – and taking care to hone her body over the years). She could run fast and – as many a hapless mugger had discovered – hit hard. What was even more unusual for a unicorn was that when she fought, Trixie was a brawler, at her best when up-close and personal. Her fighting style was heavily bipedal (she'd long since trained herself by now to be just as agile and steady on two legs as on four), a mixture of grapples & throws, heavy attacks mixed in with darting, light strikes, and elements of a style she'd picked up from that old, eccentric yet wise far-eastern pony who'd taken her in for a couple of months over in San Franciscolt, a style that included circular & sweeping motions, elbow & knee strikes along with forehoof "palm" thrusts, and forcing one's way _around _a foe's guard rather than through it.

This Shadowbolt she was fighting seemed to prefer close combat, like her. He was fast, strong, and durable, and Trixie was fighting her hardest, almost constantly in motion. Both of them had spent nearly the entire fight striking, dodging, evading, blocking, and very occasionally taking hits. Rarely did either of them get the chance to fire off a spell or take to the air. Trixie backflipped to avoid a leg sweep, coming into a foreleg-stand and springing to the left to avoid a follow-up strike, landing on all fours and lashing out with a small but tightly focused telekinetic strike, which hit the Shadowbolt in the face like a punch. He rolled with it, shrugging it off.

And then he was shrouded in a dark aura.

It didn't take Trixie long to realize things had gotten more difficult. He was now even faster, more powerful, and logic dictated he could probably take more of a pounding, too. It wasn't too much of an increase, really, but it was enough to give him a slight but noticeable edge in the previously-evenly-matched fight. After about a minute of combat, he managed to land an uppercut that sent her spinning through the air, but she managed to pull off a successful four-point landing.

'I guess I'll have to use it…' Trixie thought of her most recent technique. 'I haven't used it in an actual fight before, and it'll have to be to a higher degree than I've ever gone before…'

The Shadowbolt sneered and charged at her again, getting in close for an overhead strike… and then immediately using his wings to dash backwards to avoid hitting Trixie, around whom an aura of blue lightning energy had formed. Her body crackled with sparks of bluish electricity, the hair of her mane and tail stood somewhat on end, and her eyes had a faint light-blue glow to them. About two years ago, Trixie had created a way to reinforce her body with finely-tuned lightning magic. This "shroud" of lightning acted to stimulate her muscles, boosting their capabilities, and greatly reduce damage taken, as well as speed up her body and her reflexes. She had created it to enable very fast getaways for when the times her "Great and Powerful" persona got her into trouble, the shroud shocking anyone who tried to pursue her and got too close. But talks with Spike, of all beings, had opened her eyes to the _offensive _applications of the spell. The defensive shield of armor could allow her to take much less damage from hits, the muscle enhancement boosted her already-impressive physical strength to allow potentially-devastating attacks, and the speed and reflex boost would make her that much harder to hit.

By adding more power than she used to when pulling defensive escapes, she could upgrade all those fields of her ability to dramatic levels.

The Shadowbolt readied himself for a full-ahead charge… and, faster than most unaided/untrained eyes could perceive, Trixie struck, covering the short distance between them with a speed that would leave Rainbow Dash impressed, hitting him in the upper chest with a forearm strike that sent him flying. When he landed and, after a few seconds, picked himself up off the ground, he raised his head just in time to be hit by a rising "palm" strike that rocketed him upward, followed by the lightning-user unicorn leaping after him, catching up in midair and striking with a kick that sent him crashing to the ground hard. She landed a few feet from him, body crackling with energy. He leapt to his feet and charged again, but she caught his charge and stopped it. She then shifted into a grab around his torso, lifted him into the air, and poured every bit of power she could into her next move.

The resulting tiger-bomb left a huge crater beneath them, lightning energy shooting out in all directions. The Shadowbolt was subjected to such enormous levels of blunt-force trauma that he was 'killed' near-instantly. As the dust faded and the shadow-pony's body dissolved into nothingness, Trixie let her lightning aura fade, panting lightly from exertion as she returned to all fours.

-APPLEJACK-

Applejack's senses reached out, as if extending away from her body, as she assumed perfect stillness. Soon she could feel, through her short fur, the tiny movements of air stirred up by the Shadowbolt; hear the minutely-moving wings along with the whoosh of air with her passing; smell the faint but unmistakable "scent" of its corruptive darkness (actually, the sensation couldn't be directly comprehended by a sane mortal mind, but the pony brain was capable of interpreting it as scent). It continued to taunt her once in a while, unaware that it was aiding her in doing so. She went into what was almost a trance, every part of her body relaxed and yet simultaneously ready to spring into action in an instant. The Shadowbolt charged…

…and Applejack ducked, the shadow-pony passing right over her, missing her by inches. The Shadowbolt felt great shock at this. She flitted about some more and then went in for a forelimb strike… and Applejack reacted to the cues her senses had allowed her, raising her right forelimb and blocking the hit, her durability – abnormally high even for an earth-pony – meaning she took no damage from the high-momentum contact, while her target flashed away, clutching her limb in pain. She snarled as she began moving even faster, building up more and more energy and adding increasing erratic movement. Again and again the orange-furred girl narrowly dodged, and as this went on the Shadowbolt grew more frustrated and angry. She flew in at a shallow angle from the right and-

POW

Applejack's uppercut, perfectly timed and powered both by her own enormous strength and her enemy's enormous kinetic energy, impacted the Shadowbolt in the chin, snapping her head back with enough force to snap her neck instantly and nearly shatter her skull. The now-dead Shadowbolt tumbled end over end through the air away from Applejack at high speed, dissolving into particles of darkness as she went. Her half-gone body smashed into the "wall" of the barrier-realm and broke apart on impact. Applejack calmly reached up and adjusted her hat.

-FLUTTERSHY-

The fight had been mostly even, but now it was starting to tip in the enemy's favor. The Shadowbolt had become more aggressive, working to wear down Fluttershy's defense and will. …And then he made one critical mistake: he started talking.

"Once we're done with you girls, we're gonna have some _fun_" he said in a wicked tone. "My siblings and I will leave you six barely alive, just enough that you'll still be able to scream when we _take _you."

He could see Fluttershy standing, head down, trembling. He grinned maliciously, landing several meters away and slowly stalking towards her.

"Maybe our Mistress will bring what's left of your prismatic friend close enough to the surface to watch us break you all. …I bet the purple one's a screamer, and the pink one's got such a sweet-looking body. And that brat that admires Mistress' host, as well as her little friends… I wonder how much we'd get out of them… And maybe after that, we'll be hungry. We could go down to that forest you live by, maybe swing by your place, have some… rabbit stew?"

He laughed evilly as he grew closer, the yellow-furred pegasus still trembling. His mistress had not shared much data on her host's former friends, but from the impression he'd gotten from this girl, she was weak-willed and would break from the mere words and mental images he sent her way. …And then, as he got close, he felt like something was somehow horribly wrong. He could see a hint of gritted teeth, and then Fluttershy's head rose up to face him, and he realized to his horror that she had been trembling not in fear, but in _anger_.

"_You… will do no such things…_"

Fluttershy's stare, normally bearing maternal dominance and used to pacify and scold disobedient creatures, was now filled with anger and hatred, and the Killing Intent was so powerful that it nearly brought the Shadowbolt to his knees. Her teeth were bared in feral rage, and her voice had dropped to a low, spine-shivering growl. Before he could compose himself, she flashed forward, striking him with a rising double kick to the chest, and he learned something the hard way:

For a pegasus, Fluttershy hits _really damn hard_.

He was sent flying with great force, and a yellow-and-pink blur shot after him, catching up easily. She delivered a strike that sent him flying up at an angle, then another that sent him further up in the opposite direction, and then she came in from directly below him, striking him with a withering high-speed barrage of heavy blows. She then maneuvered up and hammered him from above with a crushing forelimb strike that sent him careening straight down, crashing to the ground with great force, landing on his stomach. Before he could do anything, she came down hard, both rear feet first, right onto his back, causing a loud crack. She bounced off into a high-speed spin through the air that ended with a sideways kick to his face that sent him tumbling several feet away, coming to rest on his back. Again she came in with frightening speed, landing atop him. She raised a forehoof high, charging it with as much of her considerable physical strength and her Harmony Element's power she could muster, and then with a hoarse cry she brought it down, hitting him in the center of the chest with enough force that the ground beneath him fractured. The Shadowbolt's chest was caved in by the blow, ending its life.

The shadow-pony dissolved into particles of darkness, as Fluttershy came down from her other state. How ironic that, though it had caused nothing but trouble its first appearance, this time "Flutterrage" had won the day.

-RARITY-

The Shadowbolt felt confident. He had successfully weathered the white mare's attacks with little difficulty, aside from a few of her random, desperate attacks that got too close to his Core, which he clandestinely blocked or evaded. Luck would not be on her side this day. She was visually tiring, her supply of enchanted gemstones steadily dwindling from either being broken by his attacks or by being left on the floor and she not getting the chance to retrieve them. He watched as the girl formed several diamonds into a flexible bladed whip with a sharp tip, and lashed out at his legs. He jumped straight up to dodge, and the whip went dead, lying beneath him. He directed a confident, taunting grin at the girl.

And then he felt pain, as the seemingly-dead weapon beneath him came alive, and the diamond-tip pierced straight up into his body just below his sternum… straight through his Core. He coughed as he felt his body slowly begin to dissolve, dying.

"H-How…" he wheezed out "did you know?"

Rarity smirked. "I'm a seamstress. A keen eye for detail is a necessity in my line of work. It didn't take much – a few well-aimed attacks and a little observation of your reactions to them – to pinpoint your tiny little weak point. It was just your bad luck you went up against me. Now be a sweetheart and die already."

And he did, fading away into black particles of darkness.

-TWILIGHT-

Twilight ached in several places, and she was bleeding from a few abrasions and cuts. The Shadowbolt Leader continued to attack her, alternating between aerial strikes & tackles and up-close blows. She felt her strength beginning to falter. And thanks to the Shadowbolt's words, so was her confidence.

"You do realize," she had said, "that this is all your fault, dearie. Your half-cocked scheme to teach your so-called friend a little humility enabled my Mistress to consume her. You have claimed to have been sent to that little town to learn about friendship, as a sort of test by Princess Celestia. Well, it's plain to see you've failed that test horribly. Not only that, but you subverted the Harmony Elements of those you pulled along – convincing Applejack to participate in a great big lie, forcing Fluttershy to act with such cruelty, bringing a definite, unforgiving halt to Pinkie's joy, taking advantage of Rarity's generosity to get her to create the tools with which you _destroyed _Rainbow Dash. And worst of them all: the bearer of Loyalty, you _betrayed_."

Twilight felt her eyes begin to tear up as she realized that the Shadowbolt Leader was completely correct in all of that.

"I-It's not… too late…" Twilight whimpered. "I… We can save her. I can… a-apologize; throw myself at her feet, beg for forgiveness… even though she probably won't grant it. I c-can fix what I broke; make everything how it was – how it's supposed to be…"

"You are pathetic" the black pegasus snarled. "To think that Celestia chose such a foolish child as her apprentice… perhaps it shows that she herself is not worthy of the populace's praise, either."

Twilight twitched at that remark.

"Yes…" the Shadowbolt continued. "Celestia's choosing of you was a great folly, indeed… but perhaps the blame in that is not yours at all. She is, in truth, weak; not in power, but weak where it truly counts nonetheless. And when we have slain your pitiful group, our Mistress will lay low the sun-princess, strip away the illusions she has built up, and show the world just how pathetic she really is! And then… well, her pelt will look _lovely _on Nightmare Maelstrom's wall, wouldn't you say?"

"…Don't…"

"Hmm? What was that, dearie?"

"Don't… Don't… _Don't you DARE SPEAK OF HER THAT WAY!-!-!_"

The Shadowbolt Leader was thrown backward by the sudden shockwave of raw magical energy, shocked beyond words. Twilight's violet fur had turned a brilliant white, her mane and tail now made of roaring red flame that soon brightened and increased in intensity to a yellow-orange. Her horn lengthened and crackled with energy. Her eyes burned red with rage and power. Twilight Sparkle would not allow any more slander against the woman who was a teacher, mentor, and second mother to her.

'I seem to have made a rather devastating mistake…' the Shadowbolt Leader thought to herself.

That was her last thought before _dozens _of huge spheres of white-hot fire sprang into existence all around, above, and below her, and then all zoomed toward her at the same time from all directions. She was incinerated near-instantly.

The flame that was Twilight calmed and faded away, returning to her normal state, panting for breath.

"It's not too late" she swore. "I swear it."

**-**REALITY-

Princess Luna's eyes widened as one of the six barrier-bubbles faded away, revealing Pinkie, who cast a cold glare at Nightmare Maelstrom. Seconds later, the other five mini-realms came undone, returning the other five members of the group to reality.

"**Impressive**" Nightmare Maelstrom said. "**To have overcome my Shadowbolts shows you are all strong indeed.**"

"For the sake of a friend, we will conquer any obstacle imaginable" Trixie stated with utmost confidence.

"**So you say. So… let us see if you can conquer **_**me**_**.**"

(MUSIC: Mass Effect 2 _Kasumi: Stolen Memory _OST – "Death From Above")

She leapt down from her platform, sparks of black electricity playing out along the floor where her hooves landed. She snapped her wings out wide open, and a wave of black and violet lightning shot out in all directions. Black lightning danced about on the top of her head, coalescing into a long, sharp horn made of solid Darkness. Her eyes glowed crimson with dark power.

"**Come at me!**"

There was a flash of blue light as Trixie's Lightning Armor formed, and she charged with great speed, appearing directly in front of Nightmare Maelstrom in the blink of an eye, right forelimb coming in for a rising strike to the black alicorn's chest. Maelstrom called forth a small, focused shield spell, which pushed back against Trixie's strike. The blue unicorn struggled to break through the barrier… and was unprepared for a foreleg strike that sent her tumbling through the air across the chamber; her Lightning Shroud protected her from most of the damage, while Maelstrom was near-completely unaffected by the electrical shock that striking the Shroud had given her. Rarity was next up, calling up several arrowhead-shaped gems and using them as cores around which daggers of magic formed. With a thought she launched them at Nightmare Maelstrom, who leapt high to avoid them. Some of them turned to track her, chasing her through the air. Focused on evading them, she failed to notice Fluttershy coming in from above, landing a powerful kick to the back of her neck, sending her down to the ground.

Maelstrom landed on all fours, avoiding a crash, and had to take action to avoid a dual assault from Applejack and Trixie, dodging and dancing to avoid crushingly-powerful blows. Nightmare's durability depended upon that of its host; Luna, who was a semi-immortal alicorn, could tank anything, the physically-trained Trixie was quite durable as well, but Rainbow Dash was not built to take the kind of blows that Trixie, AJ, and Fluttershy could dish out when truly serious, and thus Nightmare Maelstrom lacked the defense stats of Azure and Moon, relying on evasion instead of endurance when it came to stronger attacks.

Finally, Trixie pulled a feint, landing a lightning-enhanced clothesline on the black alicorn… who responded by letting out a pulse of dark magic that sent the two mortal ponies tumbling several meters. A pair of Twilight's fire-disks came whirling in, but Twilight was low on stamina at the moment, so Maelstrom was able to counter them with twin lightning disks of her own. Suddenly, she felt a weight on her back as Pinkie dropped in from above, lashing out with a kick aimed at her solid magic horn. The kick landed, and though it did not destroy the horn it did briefly break Maelstrom's connection to magic… which allowed Princess Luna to bust out of her barrier-prison.

A wave of Luna's restorative magic washed over her six allies, rejuvenating them and healing their wounds. Even so, however, she knew that their renewed strength along with her own may not be enough…

Luna spread her wings, her body surging with ancient magic, and she charged.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

Celestia chanced a look upward. The clouds had parted just enough to render the heavily-transformed fortress that was once Rainbow Dash's home visible to Celestia's magically-enhanced eyes. Huge cascades of energy were visible as bright flashes of light from within, and she could sense her little sister's power being unleashed, matching a huge, malevolent power that matched her own in strength; Nightmare Maelstrom. There was an explosion of bluish light that took out a "small" chunk of the airborne fortress' roof, followed by a barely-visible blue that was Nightmare Maelstrom after being sent flying by Luna's attack. Maelstrom steadied herself, and black and violet lightning came to her from the clouds, surrounding and coalescing at her command. After several seconds, a black-tinted purple beam of energy shot at Luna, who was now airborne as well; Luna dodged the beam and flew along the outside of it, towards Maelstrom. They clashed, the traded blows making the sound of thunder, and then both bolted back into the floating fortress while locked in close combat, where the battle continued with the support of Twilight and her friends.

All the while, the storm responded to its creator's power, growing in intensity such that Celestia was now visibly straining a little to keep the protective dome-shield steady. Several unicorns came forward, transferring donations of their magic into Celestia, which slightly lessened the burden on the Princess. A massive bolt of black lightning struck a sturdy, 100-year-old tree on the edge of town, vaporizing the tree in an instant. Roofs began to come apart in the terrible winds. A few feet behind Celestia, she could sense a quartet of young fillies – an earth-pony, a pegasus, and two unicorns – huddling together and clinging to each other in fear. The mother of one of them – a grey-furred, blond-maned pegasus with several bubbles as her Mark – came up and held them close to her protectively; they latched onto her tightly.

The battle high above continued.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

The fight came out as a stalemate. Luna and the six others were together only able to _match _Nightmare Maelstrom's power, not surpass it. Of the various Star-Beasts that Luna could summon for help, the only ones nearby were an Ursa Major and a Scorpio, neither of them capable of flight needed to participate in the fight. While Nightmare Maelstrom was visibly tired, Twilight and her friends were about ready to collapse. And Celestia couldn't come to help, lest she leave the population of Ponyville to die.

"I…" Applejack said through gritted teeth as she stood on sore legs. "I don't think we can do this…"

"We're giving it all we have and it's still not enough" Rarity lamented.

"Dash…" Twilight whispered. "I'm sorry… I can't…"

"No!"

The sudden shout caught everyone's attention.

"We can_not give up_!" Trixie shouted. "We can't leave our _friend _like this! We have to keep going!"

"But even if we could overpower her," Fluttershy said, "we can't do anything to help Dash without the Elements of Harmony."

"We'll find a way" Trixie said, her voice steady. "We cannot give up hope, no matter what. Do you hear me? You have to have _hope_. It'll give us strength; fill our hearts with the power to pull a miracle. …When I was a child, hope was all that kept me going – hope that I would step out from the shadow of my sisters, hope my mother and brother would find a way to get us out of the troubles we were in. …When I left my home far behind, and started my travels and my shows, I hoped for a better life, a way to bring recognition to my name, a chance to find something and somewhere I belonged. …I lost all hope after Ponyville, when I ran into the Everfree Forest, and that allowed Nightmare to possess me. But when you girls saved me, took me in, became my friends, I regained it. It has given me the strength to go on all these years, it has never let me down, and it's what we need to beat this abomination and free our friend!"

To everyone's shock, there was suddenly a swirling white light surrounding Trixie. The particles of light and magic coalesced at her neck, and in a flash of light they formed into a necklace holding a blue gem in the shape of a five-pointed star.

"A new… Harmony Element…" Twilight said in astonishment.

"Even the most ancient of records never even suggested the possibility of a seventh Element…" Luna said. "But it seems young Trixie was correct. Hope can pull off a miracle… It makes sense that, as she has embodied it for so long, she would wield its Element – The Element of Hope."

With renewed faith, the other five pulled themselves up. In flashes of light their Elements materialized, all six glowing with power. Nightmare Maelstrom snarled, and prepared to charge in hopes of striking them down before the energy could be unleashed, only to stop in shock as multiple binds of deep-blue magic sprung up from all around, holding her in place. Luna stood, bracing herself, horn glowing with power.

"Do it!" she shouted.

After several seconds, the beam of six-colored energy fired, hitting Nightmare Maelstrom dead-on. There was an explosion of power, and Luna's binds retracted.

"We… We did it…" Pinkie said.

"**Are you sure?**"

Everyone gasped in horror. The dust cleared, revealing a noticeably injured Nightmare Maelstrom.

"H…How?" Twilight stammered out. "The Elements…"

Nightmare Maelstrom chuckled. "**The Elements of Harmony purified my Moon and Azure selves because the hosts were fighting back, trying to break free. But this time… Rainbow Dash does not **_**want **_**to be saved.**"

"…What?"

"**Her self-worth is gone, the pain and darkness of her Heart holds her fast, and she truly views herself as not worthy or deserving of saving. After all, why would she return to a world where she believes everyone shuns and mocks her? To friends that betrayed her? To solitude and loneliness? Face it, mortals; your friend was lost the moment her body became mine.**"

There was shocked silence and stillness for several seconds. Then, Pinkie took a few steps forward. She said nothing, only stood on her rear legs and clutched both forelimbs to her Element, closing her eyes and sending out her very thoughts.

'Dashie… Please… Hear me…'

…

…

'…_Pinkie?_'

Nightmare Maelstrom jumped in surprise, and then snarled. "**I won't allow that!**"

She charged at the six, only to be interrupted by Luna.

"I'll keep her occupied!" she shouted to the girls. "Just do whatever you have to do!"

With that, she charged after Maelstrom, soon engaging her in another epic duel, this one evenly matched due to Maelstrom's weakened state.

"Girls…" Pinkie spoke. "Come here."

The other five obeyed, walking up to Pinkie and each placing a hoof on her.

'Dash… Please listen to me…' she sent out, and the other five could now hear her thoughts through their Elements. 'Please come back to me… I'm so, so sorry… for everything… You're the one who can always make me laugh, bring me joy… I can't lose you… Please…'

'…_What's the point in it? The others showed me… how I'm not strong enough, or fast enough, or smart enough, or good enough… I'm just no good at all to anyone… You're the only one who cares…_'

'That's not true!' Rarity made herself known. 'I felt it was a bad idea from the start, dear. I never wanted to hurt you; none of us did. And how could you say you're not fast enough? If you weren't the fastest flier in the world, if you hadn't been ready to give everything you had for me, I wouldn't be alive today!'

'_Because I… saved you…_'

'Rainbow…' Fluttershy sent. 'You and I have known each other since we were toddlers. I've always known that you've never really thought as highly of yourself as you've always claimed to. But you're better than you think you are. You protected me from the bullies at Flight Camp. You always stood up for me and cheered me on, just as you've always done for all the other friends you've made. You were the first one to show me kindness. If it wasn't for you, none of us would have ever found our special talents You're… the first pony I ever trusted…'

'Dash…' Trixie's thoughts reached out. 'You gave me a second chance. You helped save me from myself and from Nightmare. And… I wasn't present for that incident where the Crusaders went around asking about how we all got our Cutie Marks, so I'll tell you how I got mine. When I was a little kid, my big brother was sick, and I couldn't find anything to cheer him up. But one day, I was outside moping about it when a beautiful rainbow shockwave lit up the sky, its light reflecting and refracting off the ice crystals in the clouds above and making the most beautiful light show I'd ever seen. Inspired by that, I put my newfound magic into making the most brilliant and dazzling show I could muster for my brother. It brought happiness to him in that difficult time, and he went on to recover fully. …After talking with Fluttershy and Rarity a little while ago, I realized that shockwave was from you. We were friends over a decade before we even met. Please don't give up hope. We _need _you.'

'Dash, I…' Applejack started. 'I consider you one of my first real friends, as well as the best rival a gal could have. Without you pushin' me to outdo myself, I wouldn't be half the mare I am today. What's more… you're one of the few I can be honest about my shortcomings with, when we're always discussin' with each other what we think we can do better about ourselves. And… I'm sorry I screwed up so badly…'

'Rainbow…' Twilight finally sent, her mental voice wavering with emotion. 'I… I'm so sorry… I'm so, so sorry… I should've known you would be affected like that by my stupid, short-sighted scheme, but I was blinded by my own stupidity and ignorance. I… I never wanted to hurt you. I've… I've failed you as a friend. I know you can probably never forgive me for betraying you, but… I'm just so sorry. Knowing I've done this to a friend… I can't take it… Please… please come back to us…'

…

'…_They all still hate me… You girls may not, but they all do… And they're right to…_'

Suddenly, in that dark realm of nothingness, Rainbow Dash saw a flash of light. Celestia, sensing the six girls' Hearts reaching out, had now created a link between Dash's Heart and the Hearts of everyone down below in Ponyville. All those down below were made to understand _everything_ – they all felt Dash's despair that was their doing, and they all were made to know the truth behind Nightmare… and how their actions and rejections had created Nightmare Maelstrom.

Then Rainbow Dash felt something. At first, it was weak and unclear, but as it grew stronger and louder she realized what it was: the emotions and thoughts of those below, all being sent up to her.

'You stood up for me whenever those ponies made fun of my eyes.'

'You saved my husband from being crushed to death at the construction site.'

'Your flight tricks inspired my little brother into finding his special talent and his Mark.'

'You saved my father from plunging to his death.'

'You rescued my little girl.'

'I'm sorry.'

'I'm so sorry.'

'Please forgive us; we didn't mean to'

'You're stronger than this!'

'You're the most awesome pony in Ponyville!'

'You're the most loyal and trustworthy pony I've ever known.'

'We need you!'

'We forgive you!'

'We love you!'

'Fight her!'

'Show that ethereal son of a bitch what happens when they fuck with the most badass pegasus in Equestria!'

'Come back to us!'

'You can do it!'

'Rainbow pony is best pony!'

'You're better than this! We all know you are!'

Empathy. Sorrow. Shame. Forgiveness. Acceptance. Love. Friendship. Hope. Encouragement. All these and more, Dash felt in the Hearts of those below and heard in their thoughts, all directed toward her. Slowly, her will came alive, and her faith in others, so badly broken, began to return.

'Be strong, my child' Celestia's voice came over the connection. 'Despite what you believe, you _are _loved, and you _are _needed. Release the unconquerable strength I have seen in you, let it become even stronger and join with your friends', and strike down the abomination that holds you. I believe in you. We all do.'

'Listen to me…' Pinkie sent. 'I don't have anything that can directly wake you, but I want you to know you're not alone. Okay? And all their love keeps coming, and it won't stop! All over town, they're sending it to you. They need your help. You're the only one who can do it. Feel their hope! Feel their strength!'

'…_I… I feel them._'

Just as she was about to launch a spear of lightning to impale Luna through the chest, Nightmare Maelstrom felt shock and horror as her body completely froze up. She felt as her host, against all expectations and plans, fought back with incomparable strength and vigor.

'_You can't control me anymore!-!_'

"**This… can't… be happening!**"

Pinkie's eyes snapped open. "Now's our chance!-!"

The six girls got into position, their Harmony Elements glowing a brilliant white as they charged power. Finally, a large wave/beam of six colors shot forth, hitting Maelstrom dead-on. Her scream turned into a deep, monstrous roar from Nightmare itself as it was again forcefully expelled from its host. Cascading lights and magic danced around the target, obscuring her from view. In a flash of light, they lowered to the ground and then faded away, revealing a small, exhausted blue-furred pegasus curled up on the floor. Outside, the monstrous storm withered and died within seconds; the winds, rain, and lightning stopped altogether, and the clouds went from a foreboding black to the light grey of a typical overcast day. Down below, the ponies celebrated, as Celestia dispelled her shield.

"She did it!" Scootaloo shouted. "She did it!-!"

Back in the floating palace, Luna lowered herself to the ground, battered and tired but otherwise alright. In the center of the room, Rainbow Dash regained consciousness slowly, feeling herself being held, one forelimb supporting her head and the other resting on her chest. She opened her eyes, and Pinkie filled her vision, tears of joy starting to fall from her light-blue eyes. The girl tried to speak, but couldn't get the words out, and so settled on pulling Dash close and hugging her tight, burying Dash's face in her upper chest, stroking the back of her head, wrapping her tail around her waist, kissing her on the top of her head. Dash relaxed into the embrace, her forelimbs slowly coming up and returning it. After several seconds, she felt Fluttershy embracing her from behind, followed by Applejack's forehoof resting on her head, and one each from Trixie and Rarity on each of her shoulders. Nothing was said; nothing needed to be.

"Dash…"

They broke away from Dash enough for her to see as Twilight walked up. She was crying, her face wracked with guilt and sorrow.

"I'm… I'm…"

She threw herself at Dash's feet, bursting into tears.

"I'm so sorry! I j-just wanted to... I n-never meant to h-hurt you! Please! You h-have to believe me in that! I… I did something unforgivable! If you want to hurt me, please do it! I deserve it! I failed you as a friend! I-"

"Twilight."

The girl stopped her lamentations mid-sentence and fearfully looked up… just in time for Rainbow Dash to grab her in a hug.

"I…I…"

"It's okay, Twi. It's okay."

Dash held her as she cried, continuing to choke out half-coherent apologies and pleas. After about a minute of this, she started to calm down.

"Look! Over there, by the window!"

Luna's sudden shout caught everyone by surprise, but they followed her gaze… and saw the mass of black mist with glowing red eyes as it reared up, hissed at them, and then flew out the window.

"Nightmare's getting away!"

"No she's not" Dash snarled. "No way. No-one else! We kill that thing _now_!"

A blur of color heralded Dash taking off and shooting out the window, in hot pursuit. Less than a second behind her were Fluttershy, Luna, and the five non-flyers in Luna's telekinetic hold. As they pursued the daemon, Celestia joined them, flying alongside.

"It's headed for Canterlot!" Twilight shouted.

"We have to catch it!" Celestia said. "I don't want to think about what it could find there!"

Nightmare knew it was almost out of options. However, it also knew, thanks to the knowledge gleamed from its first and third hosts on this planet, that it had one final trump card. Knowing that, it flew even faster, hitting Mach 2 (its lack of a material form meant there was no sonic boom) to outpace even her most recent host's maximum speed of Mach 1.7 – which she wasn't flying at now anyway – , and heading for the Royal Castle, for the Royal Garden… and for a certain statue.

As the heroes got close to the Castle, they heard the sound of shattering stone, and then a pillar of violet and black chaotic darkness shot up into the sky. There was the sound of two deep voices in evil laughter simultaneously, which merged into one voice toward the end. The sky grew dark, a sickly, roiling color that shouldn't be. As they got close, they saw the pillar's epicenter… and felt horror unmatched by anything before.

"His life-force…" Luna said, her voice quaking in terror. "It's merged with Nightmare's…"

From the pillar of darkness arose a massive, serpentine creature. Its whole body was a mix of midnight-blue, dark purple, and pitch-black. It bore vague similarity to an Eastern Dragon, but the nine recognized it for what it really was: a Draconequus mutated by raw Darkness.

"We are so screwed…" Dash muttered.

"**WE… **_**I **_**AM NIGHTMARE CALAMITY!-!-!**"

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**

Cliffhanger!-!


	3. Chapter 3

And now we come to the final chapter.

I am upgrading the rating to "M" because of the brutality of some of the fight-scene finishers; feel free to inform me if you have or receive official confirmation that this chapter's material does not, in fact, warrant an M rating. I'd rather unnecessarily mark it as an "M" than risk having it removed by the mods for having M-rated action scenes in a "T" fic.

Since I cannot find a way to alter an already-up chapter without re-typing and then re-uploading the whole damn chapter, here are the battle music disclaimers for all three chapters:

_Kingdom Hearts _is the property of Disney and Square-Enix

_Mass Effect _is the property of Bioware

_Kirby _is the property of Nintendo

Onward!

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

The sky was blood-red with random whorls of violet and/or black. Every second, the range of Nightmare Calamity's birth-pulse of chaotic darkness energy raced out farther, transforming the area. The combination of Discord's insane randomness and Nightmare's corruptive darkness turned everything into a nightmarish hellscape where everything was utterly wrong, angles and symbols and not-beings that should not exist were everywhere, it was somehow both scorching hot and bitterly cold at the same time, and the fabric of reality itself was stretched and wrinkled in ways it wasn't supposed to, as ponies, places, and things mutated and warped in mind-breaking ways. Celestia, who had taken peeks into other realms in the past, described it all as "Tzeentchian".

Celestia then grabbed hold of her sister and the seven girls telekinetically and teleported them all into the deepest room of her palace, and upon arrival she immediately activated every single defensive spell, every holy artifact, every defense she had built into this safehouse. The wave of Chaos reached that section of the castle and flowed around and past the room like a river around a boulder, leaving it and its occupants dry… but inundating everything else. The expanding wave of corruption stopped when it reached the outer limits of Canterlot… for now.

Hordes of shadow-demons came into being all over the city, and immediately went on the attack. Those who hadn't been warped and twisted by the initial wave of mutative, corrupted chaos were set upon by these creatures. Some ponies managed to fight back, others managed to escape – with or without assistance – but still others fell to them. Men, women, elderly, children, all were targeted. Some were left beaten and traumatized but (barely) alive, some were killed and then revived as twisted _things _like those first victims, still others had their very life-force and souls absorbed by Nightmare Calamity Itself, where they were tortured and tormented within It, being subjected to terror and agony incomprehensible to flesh and blood. Before long, the eldritch location that was once Canterlot was filled with the sounds of shifting masses of reality, crackling energy, the tortured moans, screams, and unfathomable tones uttered by mutated victims, and the footsteps of the eerily silent shadow-daemons.

Inside the safehouse, the seven Element-bearers clung to each other, still trying to shake off what Pinkie called "eldritch-brand willies". Celestia and Luna double- and triple-checked the safeguards, going over each and every rune and magical fiber with excruciating detail. There was a whorl of orange and green fire in the center of the room, which came away to reveal Philomena, Spike, and the girls' animal companions.

"See?" Spike said to the phoenix. "Told ya it would work."

"S-Spike?" Twilight reacted with shock. "How the hell did…"

"It's magic" the boy dragon replied. "I ain't gotta explain crap."

Angel hopped over to Fluttershy, the grumpy rabbit showing uncharacteristic concern. Opalescence tried to maintain her cool façade, but it was obvious that she had been shaken by the sheer wrongness that everyone and everything had sense clear down in Ponyville. Dash walked up to her tortoise.

"Tank…" she said. "I'm… I'm sorry… about what I…"

He slowly smiled at her and placed a comforting foot on her foreleg. Winona, Gummy, and Owlowiscious each went over to their respective owners. Trixie stared silently for a few seconds.

"…If we get out of this, I need to find a pet…" she muttered. Fluttershy's ears perked up and her head snapped to attention and turned to focus on Trixie. She was already mentally composing the inevitable song.

"What the Hell is going on up here?" Spike asked the group. "The whole town heard and felt when you guys purified Dash, and we all saw you girls go chasing after that shadow, which I'm guessing was Nightmare. Then when you got near here, things went totally crazy. Even way down in Ponyville, everyone could sense something… _wrong_. And then that big roiling red-and-black nasty-looking thing expanded out and completely enveloped Canterlot."

"Nightmare has merged with Discord," Luna explained, "and the two have become a single being that calls itself Nightmare Calamity. Its mere birth has wounded the fabric of reality."

"So if the 'fabric' of reality is torn," Rarity said, "how do we go about mending it?"

"Nightmare Calamity's existence endangers this entire star system" Luna replied. "If it were to unleash its full daemonic might, everything within over 1,000 light-years could be consumed and/or destroyed …Sister, what do we do from here?"

"…I don't know" Celestia replied in a shaky, worried tone. "This is far beyond anything I could have imagined. A daemonic entity of this level of power… I cannot think of anything we can do…"

Everyone stood in mute horror at this. If not even Celestia knew what to do…

"**THIS WORLD SHALL BECOME MY THRONE.**"

The group jumped and shivered as Nightmare Calamity's thoughts reverberated in the heads of everyone for hundreds of miles around.

"**I HAVE BEGUN A TIMELESS CHORUS THAT SHALL ECHO ACROSS THE PHYSICAL REALM AND THE IMMATERIUM. JOIN YOUR VOICE WITH MINE, AND SING UNREALITY EVERLASTING. EMBRACE THE PRIMORDIAL CHAOS FROM WHICH THE UNIVERSE SPRANG FORTH, AND RELINQUISH YOUR SOULS TO ME… EMBRACE CHAOS ETERNAL…**"

Again there was silence from no-one being able to speak.

"Man…" Dash said after nearly a minute. "I… I really hope Scootaloo is okay down there…"

"She should be fine" Pinkie replied. "The corruption hasn't spread outside Canterlot."

"I know _that_. But she's probably terrified right now…"

"Cheerilee and Derpy were rounding up all the kids" Spike said. "Cheerilee knows how to fight if need be, and if anyone can make children feel safe and happy, it's Derpy."

"Not that _anyone _will be safe or happy for much longer…" Twilight sadly muttered.

"_DO NOT GIVE IN TO DESPAIR…_"

The sudden voice - male, deep, foreboding, and strong, yet warm and calming - boomed throughout the room. To one side of the room, there was whorl of sparkles of magic and light that coalesced to form the ethereal, semi-transparent spirit of an alicorn, taller than even Celestia. Every color imaginable made up this ethereal form, and his flowing mane and tail looked to be made up of Creation itself. His mere presence strengthened, inspired, and overwhelmed. He was the Originator, the First Alicorn, He who created life on this world and sired the line of alicorns who ruled over the world, overseer of all quadrupedal sapient life in the galaxy.

"Ouranos…" Luna whispered in utter awe. She and Celestia both knelt down before him, the others soon following; even if said others didn't know who he was in the way the Princesses was, they somehow _knew _that he was their unquestionable ruler of all.

"_THERE IS A WAY TO DEFEAT AND DESTROY THE NEWBORN GREATER DAEMON KNOWN AS NIGHTMARE CALAMITY_."

"D-Does it involve yourself, sir?" Fluttershy asked.

"_NO. MY CONNECTION TO THE MATERIAL REALM IS WEAK. I CANNOT MANIFEST THE POWER TO DESTROY CALAMATY AS IS. I COULD IF HE ASCENDED TO A TRUE DAEMON LORD, BUT HIS DOING SO WOULD ANNIHILATE THIS WORLD AND EVERY OTHER WITHIN MANY LIGHTYEARS. BUT THERE IS A WAY YOU, BEARERS OF THE ELEMENTS, AND YOU, MY DESCENDANTS, TO VANQUISH HIM WHILE HE IS STILL YOUNG AND NOT AT HIS FULL POTENTIAL POWER._"

"What happens if we fail?" Trixie dared to ask.

"_IF CALAMITY GAINS HIS FULL POWER, HE WILL BECOME A FULL-BLOWN CHAOS GOD, AND THIS ENTIRE GALAXY WILL BE AT HIS MERCY._"

"What must we do?" Twilight asked.

"_EACH OF YOU SEVEN BEARERS OF THE HARMONY ELEMENTS MUST VENTURE TO A SEPARATE POINT IN THE CITY. THOSE POINTS ARE PART OF THE LARGEST MAGICAL NEXUS ON THE PLANET, UPON WHICH CANTERLOT WAS BUILT. THERE, YOU MUST EACH DEFEAT THAT POINT'S DARK GUARDIAN, EACH OF THEM PLACED THERE BY NIGHTMARE CALAMITY AS AN EXTENSION OF HIMSELF. THIS WILL PREVENT CALAMITY FROM TAPPING INTO THE NEXUS LONG ENOUGH FOR YOU TO STRIKE HIM DOWN WHILE HE IS WEAKENED BY THE SEVERING._"

He turned to face Celestia and Luna.

"_YOU, MY DESCENDANTS, MUST USE YOUR POWER TO KEEP THE CORRUPTION FROM SPREADING LONG ENOUGH FOR THE ELEMENT-BEARERS TO PERFORM THEIR TASK. AFTER THAT, YOU MAY ASSIST THEM DIRECTLY AGAINST THE DAEMON._"

Ouranos then turned to look at Spike and the animals.

"_YOU ALL MUST SPREAD THE WORD AMONGST THE PONIES AND ANIMALS DOWN IN THE TOWN, AND CONVINCE THEM TO ASSIST BY SENDING THEIR EMOTIONS OUT TO THESE GIRLS. IN THIS TWISTED REALM, EMOTIONS BECOME REALITY, AND THE HOPES, BELIEFS, ENCOURAGEMENT, AND OTHER POSITIVE EMOTIONS SENT THE GIRLS' WAY BY LIVING BEINGS WILL LITERALLY STRENGTHEN THEM ENOUGH TO EASE THEIR TASK. FURTHERMORE, YOU MUST ALERT THEM THAT THEY WILL LIKELY NEED TO PREPARE DEFENSES, FOR CALAMITY'S MINIONS WILL MOST LIKELY ATTEMPT TO HARM THEM. THERE IS AN ARMY REGIMENT STATIONED HALFWAY DOWN THE MOUNTAIN; INFORM THEM THAT THEY MUST PARTICIPATE IN THAT DEFENSE_."

"…I'll make sure it all gets done, sir" Spike replied, dead-serious. The animals nodded in agreement.

"_ONE MORE THING, YOUNG DRAGON._"

The tip of Ouranos' horn glowed, and Spike was bathed in a golden light that coalesced at his throat.

"_I HAVE GIVEN YOU THE POWER TO SUMMON HOLY FIRE. IT IS BRILLIANTLY EFFECTIVE AGAINST DEMONS, DAEMONS, AND OTHER CREATURES OF DARKNESS. WHAT IS MORE, YOU CAN USE IT TO HEAL YOUR ALLIES; REGARDLESS OF INJURIES OR ILLNESS, SO LONG AS A SPARK OF LIFE REMAINS IN THE BODY OF WHOMEVER YOU WISH TO USE IT ON, THEY WILL BE RESTORED FULLY._"

Spike nodded.

"_AND FOR THAT ONE NIGGLING WORRY IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND ABOUT NOT DEVELOPING? DO NOT FRET. YOUR WINGS SHOULD START GROWING IN ABOUT A YEAR OR SO._"

As Spike turned away, excitedly mouthing 'I'm gonna have _wings_!', Twilight walked up.

"U-Um… How will we get to the nexus points?"

"_I WILL PLANET PSIONIC BEACONS FOR EACH OF YOU THAT WILL LEAD YOU TO YOUR CORRESPONDING POINTS. I HAVE ALSO BESTOWED LIGHT BLESSINGS UPON YOU TO RENDER YOU IMMUNE TO THE PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY WARPING EFFECTS OF THIS REALM. AS FOR THE SHADOW-DEMONS OUT THERE…_"

In a puff of smoke, duplicates of Twilight, Rarity, Trixie, Applejack, Pinkie, Dash, and Fluttershy appeared.

"_I WILL CREATE MANY OF THESE SEMI-SOLID ILLUSIONS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS THROUGH THE CITY. THEY WILL FOOL THE DEMON SOLDIERS. THEY WOULD NOT FOOL NIGHTMARE CALAMITY, BUT HE WILL BE FAR TOO OCCUPIED BY OTHER THINGS TO NOTICE WHAT YOU ARE ALL DOING UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE._"

There was a faint rumbling in the ground.

"_TIME IS GROWING SHORT. WE MUST ACT QUICKLY. FINALIZE YOUR PREPARATIONS AND THEN HEAD OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I WILL NOTIFY THE OTHER DENIZENS OF THE __**H**__IGHER __**P**__LANES TO BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING. I WISH THE BEST OF LUCK TO YOU ALL._"

With that, Ouranos vanished.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

A dome of golden light, around 10 feet across, popped up just outside the front gates of Celestia's palace. Dozens of semi-solid duplications of the Mane Seven shot out in every direction. The dome faded, revealing the actual Mane Seven, the Princesses, and Spike & the animals. Celestia and Luna took to the air, shrouding themselves in protective magic as they took position high above, starting their work to keep the rift in reality contained. In a whirl of green and orange fire, Philomena and Spike teleported themselves and the animals back to Ponyville. The girls set out, each following the psychic beacons to their respective points; Rarity toward the north point, Fluttershy and Trixie to northwest and northeast, and Applejack and Twilight to southwest and southeast. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie lingered at the starting point for just a bit longer.

"Dashie…" Pinkie said, catching the blue mare's attention. "This… This is for in case one or both of us don't make it out of this alive…"

And then she pulled Dash close and kissed her, making the pegasus' eyes shoot wide open in surprise. About a second in, Dash's wings snapped open and her face went bright pink when it sank in exactly what Pinkie was doing, and a few seconds later she found herself leaning into the kiss, returning it. After almost a full minute, Pinkie slowly pulled away.

"Well… Now I have something more to look forward to after this whole thing's settled" Dash said. Pinkie giggled and hugged her.

After a little more, they reluctantly pulled apart and headed at best speed for their assigned points at the east and west ends of the city.

The journeys to the points were pretty quick and easy; the duplicates were leading shadow-demons on wild goose chases, keeping their attention off the real things. Due to avoiding various obstacles, all seven got to their assigned locations at the same time despite the differences in speed and distance. At each location was a darkness dome similar to that which Nightmare Maelstrom had trapped them in to fight her Shadowbolts, except for being about three times as big. They all gathered their courage and walked through the domes and into the pocket realms that contained and sat over the nexus points.

**-Spike-**

"…And that's everything."

Spike had finally finished explaining everything to the gathered population of Ponyville. Tank, Angel, Winona, Opal, and Owlowiscious had gone off to round up the animals that Fluttershy had befriended over the years and rope them into helping however they could; Philomena had, for some reason, teleported out of the town, heading for parts unknown, though she had assured Spike she meant to fetch more help.

"So all we need to do is send our thoughts their way?" a green unicorn with a lyre Cutie-Mark asked.

"Yeah" Spike replied. "The boundaries between what's real and not are kinda screwy up there. That can work in our favor; hopes and dreams have direct tangible effects in there. Our thoughts of encouragement and hope for them will literally give them strength and power."

"We'll start setting up a perimeter" said a Royal Guard captain who'd been left on the scene after Maelstrom. "The group from the Army Base halfway up the peak should be here in a few minutes to further bolster our defenses."

As ponies scrambled to get into various positions, several individuals were thinking deeply about the "power to make hopes & dreams into reality"…

**-Twilight Sparkle-**

Twilight looked around at the twisted void she was now in. She could feel her tiredness and aches & pains from fighting Nightmare Maelstrom fading away, her strength returning to her; Ouranos was right when he said ponies' thoughts would help her. She moved forward cautiously, looking around for any sign of the "Dark Guardian" that the pony deity had mentioned. Soon, she neared the center and saw a figure in a black cloak, which turned to look at her.

"It was inevitable that you would try to come here sooner or later" the figure said in a female voice with a haughty tone; her voice was familiar in a way Twilight couldn't quite put her hoof on. "I suppose you think you'll be able to weaken Master?"

"I don't know who or what you are," Twilight replied, "But I _will _get through you."

The figure chuckled. "You really shouldn't talk about hurting yourself, you know."

"…What? Who… Who are you?"

With a flourish of red-hued magic, the figure cast off her cloak, revealing herself. Twilight stared in shock. Though her fur was a dark grey and her mane & tail were black, and her eyes were golden-yellow with black sclera, the figure was otherwise an exact duplicate of Twilight herself.

"I'm part of you" the not-Twilight said with a toothy grin.

"H-How is this even…" Twilight stammered.

"Every being that possess a Heart" explained the dark double "has Darkness in their Heart, with extremely rare exceptions who are called Princes or Princesses of Heart, of which there are less than two-dozen in this entire galaxy out of hundreds of billions of sapient beings total. Celestia is the only being of this world who is one. But I'm getting off track. Anyway, for all intents and purposes, all beings have Darkness in their Hearts. Most go through their whole lives without completely giving in to it, and a few live without ever even truly tapping into it. But it's still there. All the dark emotions of a Heart – rage, jealousy, desire for revenge, hatred, cruelty, treachery, selfishness, intolerance for other beings, and others – come from that Darkness, feeding off it and being fed by it in return. I _am _the inherent Darkness of your Heart, Twilight, made manifest here as a separate being to do battle and ensure that the Master who enabled my birth does not fail in his endeavor. And… if I manage to defeat you, I will gain full and irrevocable control over our body, and _you _will be _erased_!"

**-Mane Seven-**

In all seven of these nexus-points, the girls stood before their dark selves, being told much the same thing. Each of the seven Element-bearers stood their ground, ready to face off against their Darkness-made-manifest. Suddenly, as one, the seven Dark-Sides' eyes glowed, and around each of them sprang various dark creatures, all of them bearing the same emblem somewhere on their body - a twisted, thorny black emblem with the vague impression of a heart in the design - and jagged blood-red slits for eyes.

(BOSS MUSIC: Kirby 64 – "Miracle Matter")

**-Pinkie-**

The first of the creatures came at Pinkie from above and either side. Alerted by her Sense, she leapt up, kicking them both in what she guessed were their faces as they came close. She landed just in time for her dark double – a hyper-aggressive and bloodthirsty girl with completely flat black hair – to come in with a strike. Pinkie blocked the hit, and then responded to her Sense and blocked another. She then lashed out with her own hit aimed for her Dark-Side's neck, only for the Dark-Side's own Sense to allow her to block it. Soon the two were locked in a fast-paced close-combat battle composed solely of dodges and blocked hits, neither able to land a blow on the other. After nearly a minute, they each landed a punch to the other's face simultaneously, and broke away to get some distance and size each other up. A small emotion-demon came at Pinkie from behind, only for her to elbow it in the face without looking, stunning it, and then grab hold of it with her tail and smash it head-first into the ground, killing it.

After several seconds, Pinkie and her Dark-Side charged each other again.

**-Rainbow Dash-**

Two blurs – one rainbow-hued, the other grey and black – zipped through the air in every direction, occasionally clashing at very high speed, each contact releasing a shock wave. Rainbow Dash was operating as fast as she could, in body and in mind, working to keep up with her Dark-Side while trying to think of some way – any way – to gain an edge. So far, she couldn't come up with anything, and the aggressive, arrogant thing hounding her wouldn't give her much room to think anyway. At least the altitude and pace of the battle meant that the creatures her Dark-Side had summoned got very few chances to try and interfere.

"Bleed and die!"

She caught hold of her dark counterpart to stop her tackle, the momentum sending them both tumbling through the air, pounding at each other as they went, breaking apart several seconds later and again becoming too fast for most eyes to see.

**-Fluttershy-**

In contrast to the hectic, ultra-high-speed clash between Rainbow Dash and her Dark-Side, the duel between Fluttershy and her Heart's Darkness was more akin to a careful, almost choreographed aerial dogfight between aces, each movement calculated and precise, each attack carefully planned, executed, and – sometimes – countered. Were it not for the situation, one might almost think they _weren't _trying to kill each other.

Fluttershy and her Darkness met near the top of the dome and dove close together, spiraling around each other while lashing out with strikes and counters. Near the ground, they broke off and pulled up, Fluttershy taking out one of the smaller emotion-beasts that leapt at her as she passed over it. Her dark double flew in close again and exhaled sharply while throwing her head from right to left, launching a blade of wind magic right at Fluttershy. Fluttershy narrowly dodged the wind-blade, which sliced off the last half-inch of hair at the tip of her tail. The Dark-Side got in close, launching herself at Fluttershy's neck with teeth bared, and the yellow pegasus bended backwards to avoid the attack, punching upward and hitting her Dark-Side in the guy as she passed overhead… and getting clipped in the side of the head by her Darkness' rear leg.

The Dark-Side laughed cruelly as she circled around for another pass. Fluttershy shook the cobwebs out of her head, punched out another emotion-demon, and took to the air again, meeting her Darkness head-on.

**-Twilight-**

Fireballs and semi-solid magical projectiles flew through the air as Twilight and her Heart's Darkness tried to obliterate each other. Twilight could keep up with her Darkness. The problem was that she couldn't keep even with her Darkness and fend off the emotion-demons attacking her at the same time. She was steadily losing ground, being forced to divide her attention while her Dark-Side could devote everything to trying to crush her. She could feel Ponyville's wishes giving her strength, but it was still a tough slog, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep it up.

**-Spike-**

Explosions and projectiles of various types filled the air, along with the shouted orders and such of the Equestrian Army and the unearthly sounds of the demon army. Saddle-mounted machineguns and grenade launchers fired into the advancing horde, cutting down demons, while artillery guns and mortars blew more away. Pegasi flew overhead, dropping explosive charges on the demonic masses. Yet however many demons fell, more just kept coming. Spike let loose another wave of pure-white holy fire. Every demon touched by even an ember of it dissolved away into nothingness within seconds.

"Not sure how much longer we can hold this position, sir!" a Sergeant shouted to the Major in charge of the defense of the town.

"We got no choice, Sergeant!" the officer replied. "The town and its population will be ripped to shreds if those things get past us! We'll fall back to secondary positions closer to the town if things get any hotter, but until then _we don't budge_!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

Suddenly, there was a massive shape flying overhead. It roared and breathed out a massive stream of fire… at the demons. The huge flames burned away dozens of the things in seconds, culling their numbers noticeably. Everyone looked up at the titanic, red-scaled winged saurian flying overhead, raining death on the approaching horde.

"Sweet Celestia…" the Major said, joy creeping into his voice. "It's an Ignis Dragon…"

"Looks like Philomena _did _find help…" Spike muttered.

'_Not only help found_' Philomena sent telepathically to Spike, the phoenix herself nowhere to be seen at the moment. '_More help to Canterlot_.'

Over in the shelter in Ponyville, everyone gathered together, comforting each other, watching over each other, trying not to let their fear conquer them, and sending their thoughts and hopes to the seven girls, giving them whatever strength could be spared. Cheerilee and Derpy continued to watch over the children.

"Hey…" Silver Spoon suddenly said. "Where are the Crusaders?"

At this, the two caretakers looked around, only to realize that the troublesome trio was indeed gone.

"I can't find Big Mac or Granny Smith, either" Caramel said as he walked over. "I think we got a couple others missin', too."

"Hey, where's the boss-lady?" one of the three Wonderbolts assigned to protect the civilians asked. "I'm not pickin' her up outside. No sign of Soarin', neither". The others shrugged their shoulders.

As they began to search around, the battle outside continued unabated, the Ignis Dragon's flames and the gunfire of the Army forces lighting the night.

**-Trixie-**

Trixie caught her breath, shrouded in her Lightning Aura and surrounded by the dissolving bodies of several emotion-demons. No sooner had the last one faded than her Dark-Side attacked from the right, Trixie raising her forelimb to block the attack, her blue Lightning Aura and her opponent's red one clashing with a crack of thunder. They struggled and pushed against each other, bolts of electricity arcing between them and zapping any emotion-demons that got too close. Unfortunately, the Dark-Side got the upper hand, throwing off Trixie's balance and then hitting her with a lightning-charged punch that sent her tumbling across the area. The Dark-Side then leapt high and far forward, aiming to come down on the stunned Trixie with an earth-shattering gravity-assisted blow.

Four magical shields, each bearing a different energy signature from Trixie's that was nonetheless similar to hers, appeared stacked between the dark being and Trixie. When the Dark-Side impacted, they compressed together like a spring… and then sprung back, sending Trixie's Heart's Darkness flying clear across the area. Trixie shook her head as she heard four sets of footsteps coming close to her.

"On your feet, sis" a female voice said. "No way we're lettin' you give in now."

(Music: "Miracle Matter" END)

Trixie opened her eyes and picked herself up, turning to look behind her… and her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she laid eyes on the four unicorns now present. The two younger mares, around Trixie's age, both had blue coats with light-blue manes & tails; the slightly older one with a teddy-bear for a Cutie Mark (occupation: official in a toy factory) had her mane cropped short with the bottom spiked, while the slightly younger other had a pair of ice skates for a Cutie Mark and had her hair in a single braid. The stallion with deep-blue fur, a slightly-wispy white mane & tail, and a stethoscope for a Mark stood next to a middle-aged mare with off-white fur, powder-blue mane & tail, and a shooting star for a Cutie Mark.

Nixie, Pixie, Cirrus, and Morrigan – Trixie's sisters, brother, and mother.

"Wh…" Trixie was stammering, her eyes holding back tears despite herself at the sight of family she hadn't seen in over a decade. "H-How did you all… What…"

"Celestia's phoenix tracked us down and informed us of the situation" Cirrus said, his calm tenor bringing up long-buried happy memories in Trixie. "We tapped into that 'make wishes into reality' bit attached to this reality rift and used that to bring ourselves here to your side, just in time". As he walked over to her she disengaged her Lightning Aura, allowing him to hug her. "We've been so worried about you for so long, Trix."

In the arms – err, forelegs – of the one pony who had always been there for her, who she had and still did love more than anyone else in the world, she couldn't speak, trying her absolute hardest not to let herself completely break down and pour out her over-a-decade of troubles; that could wait until the current threat was put down. At least, she hoped she could hold off long enough.

"We understand why you left, Trixie" Nixie said as she walked up.

"When we realized that it was our fault that you left…" Pixie started.

"…that you felt like you weren't special…" Nixie continued.

"…that you weren't your own individual…"

"…all because we three looked and sounded so alike…"

"…and were always trying to do things together…

"…we felt horrible…"

"We, mom, and big bro tried everything to find you…"

"…but we never could…"

"We always wanted to apologize…"

"…to do whatever it took to make it up…"

"We found our own special talents that turned out to be different from each other…"

"…and changed up our looks to make it even harder to ponies to get us mixed up…"

"…though we've never quite managed to break the habit of…"

"…finishing each other's sentences…"

"We're so sorry, Trixie" they finished in unison.

"I even fixed up your room for you…" Morrigan said as she walked up to her long-lost daughter, barely containing tears of joy. "The banner reading 'Welcome Home, Trixie' is old and a little faded, but it's still there. It's been there ever since I put it up less than a week after you left, all those years ago. …Your old stuffed bunny is even still sitting on your bed, waiting for you. I… Oh, my baby, I'm so sorry! I never meant to hurt you or get confused, and every time I think about the stress I was under at the time and what it did to me… what it made me do to you girls… to _you_… I can't forgive myself… Losing your father to that disease was bad enough, but losing _you _to my own inaction… I failed you as a mother… But starting right here and now, I will make it all up to you. I swear on my name that I will… I love you, my little magic-trick Trixie…"

The group hug that was about to ensue was interrupted by a crimson blast of explosive magical energy from the other side of the area. Without missing a beat, Cirrus' horn glowed, and a shield sprang up and blocked the hit. The reunited family jumped to attention.

"Isn't this _sickening… _After all they did to us, you'll take them back just like that?"

The Dark-Side sauntered up, aura flaring, flanked by six of the emotion-demons.

"Why…" Pixie asked "…does she look and sound like a dark Trixie?"

"All sapient beings have darkness inherent in their Hearts" Trixie responded. "This is mine made manifest as a separate being of pure malevolence and negative emotions. She's guarding the nexus-point I need to secure. I have to destroy her physical form so she'll return to slumber inside me, without a mind of her own to drive her."

"And I don't plan on letting that happen" Trixie's Dark-Side said. "Once I've beaten you and claimed our body as solely mine, you will be erased, and I will kill those who you cherished to sever from the world every last link to you. As we speak, your six little friends are fighting their own Shadows, who shall accomplish that very task with their respective Base-Selves."

"I just got my little sister back after over a decade of looking for her…" Cirrus spoke in a low, dangerous tone. "I will _not _let anything happen to her again."

"Do you have to be the one to destroy her?" Morrigan asked.

"Yes," Trixie replied, "but I don't have to beat her to within an inch of her un-life without help, if that's what you're asking. Be careful, though; she has all my abilities… and I've become quite powerful over the years…"

"She may have your abilities…" Pixie started.

"…but she doesn't have _ours_…" Nixie finished.

Trixie's Dark-Side's horn glowed a black-tinted red, and dozens of emotion-demons spawned in.

(BOSS MUSIC (for rest of Dark-Side fights): _Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep_: "Enter the Darkness")

"Come" she said.

Trixie's Lightning Aura sprang to life even brighter than before, water spontaneously came to be and flowed around Pixie, a swirl of fire encircled Morrigan's horn, the ground beneath Nixie rose up to her will, and a fierce wind enshrouded Cirrus. The creatures charged, and the family rushed forward to meet them.

**-Applejack-**

Applejack stared down her Heart's Darkness, who stared right back. The entire fight had been a mix of "slow" even-paced brawls and of moments of near-stillness punctuated by sudden, split-second bursts of blistering speed as one combatant attempted to exploit a miniscule opening in the other, only to be foiled by a lightning-fast block or dodge. And of course, the semi-frequent interruption of small groups of emotion-demons trying to get Applejack from behind, only to be dispatched with nary a glance from the blonde-haired mare.

The Dark-Side lunged forward again, Applejack catching her blows, and the two getting into a grappling match. After a few reversals, the Dark-Side grinned and looked behind Applejack. AJ took a quick peek… and saw the _wave _of emotion-demons about to dogpile her as her Shadow-Self leapt out of the way.

There was a big blur of red, and the demons were sent flying through the air in all directions. Applejack lowered her forelimbs from the protective position in front of her face, and her eyes widened in shock at the sight of her big brother standing over her, his face looking more serious than she'd ever seen.

"B-Big Mac?" she said. "How the hay did you get here?"

"Figured you could use some help" Macintosh replied. "We heard 'bout that 'make wishes into reality' bit, and used it to teleport ourselves here to help ya out."

"We?"

There was a thud behind them as Apple-Bloom landed on top of a particularly large emotion-demon and double-kicked it in the face, her Apple-Clan bucking-legs strength being enough to cave its head in; she leapt off and landed on the ground as the demon toppled. Granny Smith slowly walked through and between four emotion-demons… and as she slowly walked by them there was the almost-unperceivable blur of motion as her limbs struck out with pinpoint accuracy, felling each demon as she passed it.

There was another blur of motion from two individuals, and when it was over Granny's left front hoof was raised and Applejack's Dark-Side was on the ground several feet away, clutching her stomach.

"How are you faster than me?" she gasped out at the Apple-Clan matriarch.

"I'm not faster than you" Granny Smith replied. "I'm an old lady; _you're _faster than _me_. It's just that I move while you're still thinkin' about movin'."

She then turned to her middle grandchild. "Your darkness, I reckon?"

"…How'd ya know?"

"Lucky guess."

More emotion-demons rose to fight, as the Dark-Side got back to her feet.

"I'll help Applejack handle her Shadow" Smith said. "You two deal with them darklings, keep 'em off of us."

"Yes, ma'am" Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom said. Big Mac turned and kicked an emotion-demon twice his size that leapt at him; the extreme force behind the blow sent the demon hurtling through the air at a speed Rainbow Dash would envy.

Granny pulled out her cane, taking a fighting stance with it, as Applejack moved her hat to hang off the back of her neck by the drawstrings and readied herself. AJ's Dark-Side leapt at her, and the girl charged forward to meet her.

**-Rarity-**

Bursts of water, spears of rock, and razor-sharp gemstones filled the air as Rarity and her Heart's Darkness battled it out. Rarity snarled as she called forth another large sphere of water, infused it with concussive-explosive magic, and launched it at her dark counterpart. The Dark-Side somehow went underground, avoiding the shot. Rarity heard her pop up right behind her, and knew she wouldn't be able to react in time. Her body turning far too slowly, she saw the gem-spear coming at her… and then saw it go off-track as a high-velocity sphere of magic hit her Dark-Side in the side of the head, sending the presently-airborne Shadow-Pony over her to land on the ground a few meters away. Rarity looked over where the shot had come from, and gasped.

"Mom? Dad? Sweetie Belle?"

"Sorry we're late, dear" her father said. "You wouldn't believe the traffic."

"What kind of family would we be if we didn't help you out, hon?" her mom said.

"It's time for me to see how well Trixie's training has paid off!" Sweetie-Belle shouted. She levitated up several stones and launched them with surprising force, each of them striking a smaller emotion-demon between the eyes, destroying half of them and stunning the others.

Rarity shook her head in an exasperated manner, yet couldn't shake the smile off her face. "I guess I really am stuck with you guys…" she said with no hint of malice.

"Yep!" her dad said cheerfully. He then formed a small sphere of magic, turned around, and kicked it hard, forcing Rarity's Dark-Side, who had been trying to sneak up on Rarity, to duck and abort her attack. The Dark-Side snarled and launched a rock spear at him, only for the mother to make a pillar of water shoot up from the ground in its path, throwing it off course.

Rarity flashed a confident grin at her Heart's Darkness, and charged her.

**-Twilight Sparkle-**

Twilight knew she was starting to get boxed in. Between her aggressive Dark-Side's continuous attacks & advances and the small horde of emotion-demons attacking her, she was running out of options and of room. She could now see her Darkness charging up a large ball of fire so bright it almost hurt to look at, while Twilight herself was stuck fending off emotion-demons, unable to launch a counter to stop the spell's preparation. Twilight's Heart's Darkness grinned evilly as the spell neared completion… and was suddenly struck by a hammer of gravity magic from on high, causing her to lose focus and the near-completed spell to shoot forth into the emotion-demon crowd, wiping out over two-thirds of them. A pulse of telekinetic magic blasted away the demons trying to claw at Twilight, and the young woman felt as healing magic washed over her.

"Are you alright, honey?"

Twilight looked to the source of the voice, her vision being almost wholly taken up by a white-furred mare with purple-and-white-striped mane and tail, with light-blue eyes and three stars as her Cutie Mark. She looked younger than she really was, age having been quite kind to her. Twilight felt herself starting to tear up.

"Momma?"

To the right there was another pulse of gravity magic that sent several emotion-demons flying. At the epicenter of it was a blue-furred stallion with dark-blue mane and tail, golden eyes, and a Mark of one crescent inside another.

"Well, Velvet," Twilight's father said to his wife. "I'd say we got here just in time. What does that make us?"

"Big bucking heroes, Nightlight" Velvet replied.

"Aren't we just? …You okay, honey?"

"I-I'm fine" Twilight replied, getting to her feet. "How did you two…"

"We happened to be watching over a group of ponies hiding from those demons outside" Velvet explained. "The hideout happens to be near here, and we were able to sense you inside this pocket realm. Some Royal Guardsmen showed up to take our place defending the wounded, so we set out to come and help you."

"Wonderful…" Twilight's Dark-Side growled. "It's the whole damned family… This may have just become difficult…"

"That's an understatement" Twilight replied with newfound confidence. "You're going back where you belong."

"_Never…_" her Dark-Side snarled. "Your body _will _be mine!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it" Nightlight said sternly.

Twilight's Heart's Darkness gave a wordless shout as she launched a Dark Fireball at Velvet, who leapt to the side and fired a trio of pink-hued flame bolts back at her. The Dark-Side dodged two and shielded against the third, and the second her shield came down Twilight was there, lashing out with a flame-coated kick. The Dark-Side swathed her forelimb in fire and blocked the blow, casting a hateful gaze at her Full-Self counterpart. Twilight glared right back, a spark in her eyes.

**-Pinkie Pie-**

Pinkie's eyes widened as a whirlwind of Philomena's fire popped up between her and her Dark-Side, stopping the latter's charge. It subsided, revealing four ponies: two girls, one with grey fur, violet eyes, and a geode Cutie Mark, the other with bluish-grey fur, golden eyes, and a gold nugget for a Mark; a light-brown-furred stallion with golden eyes and a pickaxe Mark; and an older mare with light-grey fur, blue eyes, and three stones as her Cutie Mark.

"M-Mom? Dad? Inkie? Blinkie?"

"How come you never visit home, sis?" said Inkie, the gray-furred girl looking back over her shoulder at her pink sibling.

"Yeah" Blinkie said. "The farm's really dreary and dull without you around."

"That would be in part due to the fact the farm borders a mine" said Clyde, the father. "Though that does not in any way mean that your absence is a positive thing, Pinkamena."

"I suppose introducing you to the family business when it wasn't Gemstone Season wasn't such a good idea in hindsight" her mother, Sue, said. "The rocks _are_ quite dull and boring when the crystals aren't growing. You even left us before the first Gemlight Night; that's the first big night of Gemstone Season, where the full moon's light reflects off all the gemstones and crystals and makes the entire field glow with beautiful light. …It could have been one giant disco ball for one of your parties, dear."

"…I'll have to be sure to come and visit for the next one, then" Pinkie said, her voice unusually calm but still quite happy. "Can I bring my friends along?"

"Of course, dear" her father said.

"Yeah, yeah, big happy family reunion" Pinkie's Dark-Side butted in. "Can I get back to trying to kill you now?"

"Inner darkness made manifest…" Sue muttered. "I've read about this in some of the family's ancient texts from about 800 years ago. I never thought I'd actually see it happen. I don't recognize those creatures she has with her, though."

"Can't ya feel it, Sue?" Clyde said. "Raw negative emotions given form by this twisted place – near-mindless demons literally _made _of dark emotions, unversed in the ways of normal existence."

"Can we destroy 'em?" Blinkie asked.

"Go right ahead" Pinkie replied. "Feel free to help me weaken _her_, too, but I literally have to be the one to deal the final blow."

"…Let's get to work, then" Clyde said.

Pinkie's Dark-Side gave a slasher's grin. "More blood to water the ground with…" She roared and leapt at them, her demon underlings joining her.

**-Fluttershy-**

Fluttershy rolled to avoid a barrage of compressed-wind "bullets" from her Heart's Darkness, who shifted fire, forcing Fluttershy to take further evasive action. The hail of projectiles stopped, and the Dark-Side maintained pursuit. Fluttershy banked and rolled, trying to throw off her pursuer, to no avail. Finally, she saw a chance. She pulled up, looping and coming out directly behind her Dark-Side. She boosted forward, aiming to strike her target in the wings… and the Dark-Side spun around in mid-flight, hurtling through the air backwards as she spat out a cannonball of compressed air that smashed into Fluttershy full-on. Fluttershy, stunned, plummeted toward the ground.

As she neared the ground, she felt something – no, some_one _– catch her, warmth enveloping her.

"Wake up, my little butterfly…"

Fluttershy opened her eyes… and her eyes lit up as she saw who was carrying her. A tall, thin pegasus mare with golden-yellow fur and a red mane & tail, with deep-green eyes and a trio of sunflowers as her Cutie Mark.

"Mommy…"

Golden Shine touched down, gently lowering her daughter to the ground. She reached out, brushing Fluttershy's bangs away from her eyes and looking the girl over, finding no serious injuries (though there was a fresh bruise on her face from the fight against Nightmare Maelstrom's Shadowbolt). The two stared into each other's eyes, everything being said without spoken words.

"How cute…" Fluttershy's Heart's Darkness said in a mocking tone as she flew overhead and touched down several meters away. "Mother and daughter together again… Gag me, why don't you…"

"Who and what are you?" Golden Shine asked, her soft voice growing harsh and serious.

"I'm the Darkness inherent in your little Flutter's Heart, given a body and a mind in this dark realm by Master Calamity. And once I defeat her, she'll cease to exist and our body will be mine and mine alone!"

Nothing more was said. Shine looked to her daughter, who nodded, and they braced themselves, spread their wings, and charged the Dark-Side.

**-Rainbow Dash-**

Dash and her Dark-Side squared off against each other, both of them panting and looking roughed up. Suddenly, their attention was caught by a buzzing noise growing louder… along with the sounds of impacts stunning and knocking over some emotion-demons. Dash looked behind her, and her eyes almost bugged out of her head when she saw Scootaloo using her speed and her scooter as weapons, lashing out at emotion-demons and scooting away before they could land a hit.

"Squirt?-!" Dash shouted. "What the Hell are you doing here?-!"

"I came to help" Scootaloo said.

"Now gonna be much help against me alone, pipsqueak" Dash's Dark-Side said.

"…Who says I came alone?" the orange filly replied with a smirk.

Before either Dash or her Dark-Side could process this, twin blurs tackled the latter from out of nowhere at high speed, sending her tumbling. The two figures flew in next to Dash: Soarin' and Spitfire.

"I was planning on giving you a speech on not doubting yourself after the Maelstrom incident," Spitfire said to Rainbow Dash, "but I think we can pass on it, given the present circumstances."

"She's getting back up" Soarin' said, pointing to Dash's Dark-Side, who was indeed getting back on her feet.

"Damned interlopers…" she snarled. "You couldn't just let me finish my task, could you?"

"When your 'task' involves killing the girl who'll someday be one of us, no" Spitfire replied.

Rainbow Dash looked to Spitfire in astonishment. "R-Really?"

Spitfire smiled. "All you need to work on, Dash, are your formation flying and your landings."

Dash blushed and grinned sheepishly at the latter. "Y-You heard about that, huh? H-Hey, at least I'm made of tough enough stuff that I hardly ever get all banged up whenever I botch a landing… But, yeah, I guess that I botch any of them _at all _is a mark against me…"

"I can help you with those" Soarin' said. "There's a bit of a trick to it, sure, especially with the level of speed you can reach, but it shouldn't take too long for me to help you get the hang of it."

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Hey, you saved me and Spitfire's lives at the last Young Flyers' Competition. I owe ya."

"And then maybe you can teach me how to fly, Dash!" Scootaloo chimed in. "Well, I mean, I can hover, but I haven't got the hang of actual flight yet…"

"Alright, alright. I'll do what I can."

"Yay!"

"Are you all quite done?" Dash's Heart's Darkness snapped at them. "I've got a Rainbow Dash to erase and a body to steal, and time's a-wastin'. Come on!"

"Soarin', help the kid against the demons" Spitfire ordered. "I'll help Dash take down her Shadow-Self."

"Got it"

Three blurs of motion signaled the simultaneous movements of Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, and Dash's Dark-Side as all three launched themselves into the air. The double team of the leader of the Wonderbolts and the fastest pegasus in the world worked to wear down the Shadow-Self, while the other two pegasi began carving their way through emotion-demons, Scootaloo stunning them and Soarin' finishing the incapacitated ones off.

After a while, though, Dash and Spitfire finally realized something rather disconcerting: the Shadow-Self was showing no signs of tiring. She had "only" Dash's level of strength, durability, and speed, but her stamina was seemingly infinite. The three touched down after nearly 10 straight minutes of combat; by now, nearly all the emotion-demons were destroyed. Dash and Spitfire panted for breath, while Dash's Shadow-Self stared them down, hateful glee in her dark eyes.

"Now what do we do?" Dash said. "I… I'm not sure anymore we can overcome her…"

"_Are you really going to give in so easily, my little prismatic pony?_"

Dash gasped at the slightly-echoing voice that seemed to come from nowhere. It was hauntingly familiar. She looked around, seeing nothing, but then a shimmering light resolved into a ghostly, semi-transparent form… one that made Dash's knees go weak. It was a pegasus mare, with dull-pink fur and blue mane & tail, eyes the same red as Dash's, and two blue lightning-bolts as a Cutie Mark.

"The Cobalt Storm…" Spitfire whispered. "Firefly…"

Dash's reaction was different: "…Mama…"

When Rainbow Dash had been just five years old, her mother Firefly, famous among all pegasi as "The Cobalt Storm", "The Tamer of Thunder", and "The Bolt from the Blue", had been among many to attempt to contain and disperse the devastating Hurricane Epona… and had not returned, being declared "Missing – Presumed Dead", and leaving the heartbroken Dash – whose father had flown the coop – to raise herself.

Firefly's spirit smiled, her voice echoing slightly. "_You've gotten so big since I last saw you, my little Rainbow. Though, it has been 13 years, so that's understandable. I wish I could hug you…_"

Dash was about to say something, when her Dark-Side lunged at the spirit… and passed right through her. Firefly gave an annoyed glare… while Dash became flat-out enraged, an unnaturally low growl issuing from her throat. Her Dark-Side leapt away, taking a fighting stance.

"_I have a way to defeat her_" Firefly said to her daughter.

"…How?" Dash said. "She knows every move I do…"

"_But she doesn't know _my _moves. My ultimate technique… I'll need to synchronize with you, though. Don't worry, I won't wrench control from you; it's more like we'll _both _be controlling your body. My knowledge of how to perform the technique will become yours as well. But we'll need a minute to sync up._" She turned to the Wonderbolt standing nearby. "_Can you keep Dash's Darkness occupied for that time?_"

"Y-Yes, ma'am" Spitfire said, still a little stunned at the situation. But she shook her head to clear her thoughts, and then charged Dash's Dark-Side, the two of them taking to the air in another dogfight.

Firefly 'walked' over to Dash, and then walked _into _her, taking up the space currently occupied by her. Soon, only Rainbow Dash was visible, her eyes closed. Dash could see, hear, smell, and feel her mother's warmth, bringing back memories of her early childhood, and a few tears of joy fell out of her closed eyes, a beatific smile on her face. Firefly combed through Rainbow Dash's memories, learning whatever she could about the daughter she hadn't been there to raise. Flight school; the first Sonic Rainboom; little Fluttershy; Gilda the griffon; the move to Ponyville; growing up there; the hero worship of the Wonderbolts; meeting Twilight Sparkle and getting pulled into the events surrounding Nightmare Moon's release; becoming the wielder of the Harmony Element of Loyalty; purifying and freeing Princess Luna; the various hijinks in the town, involving a sleep-deprived Applejack, a grumpy Ignis Dragon, Zecora the zebra, parasprites, finding and freeing Trixie from Nightmare, the Running of the Leaves, the second Sonic Rainboom, diamond dogs, Appleloosa, Pinkie Pie's psychotic break, and the Gala; Discord's brief and terrible second reign; finding Tank; the Mare-Do-Well incident, the fall to Nightmare, being purified and freed with her confidence restored, the formation of Nightmare Calamity, the recent kiss from Pinkie…

In less than 40 seconds, Firefly knew more about her daughter than anyone else… and felt nothing but maternal pride for her little girl.

Half a minute after that, Spitfire lured Dash's Dark-Side down to the ground, and both saw that Rainbow Dash was now blazing with power, her body crackling with electrical energy, her eyes glowing, a fierce wind radiating out from her as her aura flared. She planted one foot forward as if preparing to charge… then vanished from sight, the ground shattering from her kicking off of it. Faster than anyone could react, Dash's Darkness was subjected to an extremely powerful kick to the chin from directly below, which rocketed her up into the air.

'How… did she move so fast?' she thought, trying to get her bearings and stop her uncontrolled flight. She opened her eyes, looking up, just in time to spot Rainbow Dash flashing in, striking her and sending her shooting down toward the ground at an angle… only to flash in again in her path, hitting her again to send her back into the air, and again, and again. Within seconds, the Dark-Side had become Dash & Firefly's personal pinball.

"Holy crap…" Soarin' muttered, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, standing over the dissolving body of the last emotion-demon as he looked up at the incomparable beating being delivered.

Scootaloo was too shocked and awed for words.

"This is it…" Spitfire muttered. "Firefly's ultimate technique; the source of her title "The Cobalt Storm"…"

Up in the air, the hyper-speed asskicking neared its end. Dash/Firefly seemingly disappeared from sight, only to reappear with her left fore-hoof 'buried' in the Dark-Side's stomach. Before the Dark-Side could hit the ground, she was caught in an instant by a chain-bind made of bluish lightning, the other end wrapped around Dash's left foreleg. She gave a yank, pulling the Dark-Side up and close… and then struck the Dark-Side in the torso with both right hooves with every last bit of physical strength and stored energy she had built up. At a speed enough to render her invisible, Dash's Heart's Darkness was sent into the ground, impacting with such sheer incredible force and speed to shake and shatter the earth and kick up a humongous dust cloud. She was 'killed' instantly.

Rainbow Dash leisurely flew in for a landing; within her, Firefly felt as the darkness, again mindless and bodiless, reintegrated with Dash's Heart, returning to its natural, comparatively-harmless state. Firefly then 'stepped' out of Dash's body, turning to face her body.

"That…" Dash said breathlessly. "That was… unreal… Mom… You are _beyond _awesome…"

"_And now so are you_" Firefly's spirit replied.

The other three walked up to join her.

"Now I know that Dash's awesomeness is hereditary…" Scootaloo said, her voice filled with wonder and awe. Firefly giggled in response.

Nearby, a glowing circular rune appeared on the ground. Rainbow Dash steeled herself and walked toward it.

**-Rarity-**

A trio of stone spears, courtesy of Rarity's father, skewered a half-dozen more of the smaller emotion-demons, while Sweetie Belle managed to take two more out by using a crystal-pattern shield spell as an impromptu bludgeon, crushing the two demons into the ground. Across the area, daggers of gem & stone from Rarity joined high-pressure "bullets" of water from her mother in blasting at the Dark-Side, who was now struggling to return fire against two opponents at once, but whose defense was as impenetrable as ever.

"Just hang in there for a little while longer, mother" Rarity said.

"You have something planned, dear?" the woman asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Just pray that she doesn't look down."

On cue a few seconds later, Rarity's Heart's Darkness gave a surprised shriek as something grabbed hold of her feet and started slithering up her legs. Her attack spells cut out as she looked down and saw…

"Sand?-!"

Before she could react, it surged upward and encased her wholly, leaving only her face exposed. Rarity walked forward, her horn glowing.

"My elemental affinity is Earth" Rarity said. "That encompasses gemstones & crystals, stone, soil, mud… and sand."

"But… I know every one of your moves!" her Dark-Side said. "How did you do this?"

"You know every move that I knew upon your creation" Rarity corrected. "I just came up with this one a few minutes ago. It was painstaking work – devoting the mental and magical focus to break down and convert the soil and stone beneath us into sand while simultaneously launching more overt spells at you, and then directing the sand to underneath you without you noticing. But… Well, I am known for my impeccable work ethic…"

By this point, Sweetie Belle and the girls' father had finished off the rest of the emotion-demons, and walked over to join Rarity and her mother, looking at the helpless Dark-Side.

"You scheming bitch… This won't hold me forever! I'll get out of here, and when I do-"

"You won't be getting out of there" Rarity replied, her voice cold. The sand crept up, smothering her Dark-Side's face, now covering her completely. "Return to your slumber."

With that, she magically forced the sand to compress instantaneously with extremely high pressure. The semi-muffled sound of nearly every not-bone in the Dark-Side's body being snapped and near-pulverized filled the air, and from the sand jetted out black mist that, in a normal organic, would have been a burst of blood in several directions. Rarity released her hold and allowed the sand to fall away, just in time for the last of her Dark-Side's mangled body to dissolve into raw Darkness. Rarity felt as her inherent Darkness, now without mind or physical form, return to her own Heart, dormant and harmless as it should be.

"Promise me one thing, honey" Rarity's dad said. "Never use that on an actual living being when Sweetie Belle's watching. Or any other kid. Or anyone with a weak stomach."

"Yes, yes, I understand, father"

Several feet away, a circular magic rune appeared on the ground, glowing.

**-Applejack-**

Applejack's Heart's Darkness staggered backward, clutching her forelimb where Granny Smith's unperceivably-fast strikes had broken it in two places. Applejack rushed in, dealing several punishing blows to her midsection. A leaping strike to the back of the head by Apple Bloom left the Dark-Side disoriented and stunned, and then a rising uppercut from Big Macintosh sent her flying, her jaw nearly shattered. She hit the ground with a thud several meters away, barely moving. Applejack walked over and stood on top of her. She glared daggers at her Whole-Self, but could no longer talk.

"Y'all have done enough misbehavin' for tonight" Applejack said, raising her right forelimb to strike. "Now go back to bed!"

She brought her strike down on her Dark-Side's head, shattering it into particles of darkness. The rest of its body dissolved soon after, and Applejack felt as her now-mindless inherent Darkness returned to her Heart and to sleep. She turned to the others.

"I'd say that was a perfect Apple Family Ass-Kickin'." she remarked.

"Most definitely!" Apple Bloom chirped.

"Eeeyup" Big Mac offered his opinion.

"I figured that Calamity fella wouldn't have considered outside help when he decided to do his whole 'darkness made flesh' idea" Granny Smith remarked.

"…I'm still worried about the fact that thing is part of me" Applejack said.

"Don't you worry none, AJ" Big Macintosh said. "She's what would happen if you gave into darkness _and _tossed away all your light. Hearts need light and darkness for balance; having all of one and none of the other, no matter which one, is bad more often than not - since it takes an extra-specially-rare type to have all light and still be alive and sane, while we all just saw what havin' all darkness does - but havin' _both_ of 'em is a part of bein' alive. We all know your light's strong enough to keep your darkness in check."

"…Thanks, bro"

Nearby, a white rune sprang into being on the ground.

**-Fluttershy-**

The two-on-one aerial battle continued without interference from any emotion-demons, all of them having been destroyed by the mother-daughter team. What Golden Shine lacked in strength compared to her daughter, she apparently made up for in speed and agility. She was practically flying circles around Flutterhy's Heart's Darkness, the result being that the Dark-Side was rapidly losing herself to frustration, especially the few times she was distracted by Shine to the point where she barely avoided bone-crushing blows from Fluttershy. However, she took some small comfort in that she knew what to expect from them.

And then Fluttershy's speed nearly doubled, while Golden Shine's speed abruptly dropped, allowing her to strike the off-guard Dark-Side with a blow of frightening power. This was Golden Shine's special ability inherited by Fluttershy: the ability to take the physical reinforcement magic that was inherent to some degree in all ponies, and divert nearly all of it to either her wings for blistering speed or her body for enormous strength; for the experienced Golden Shine, the switch was nigh-instantaneous. And over the course of this very fight, she'd been helping Fluttershy refine it.

The Dark-Side was sent tumbling uncontrollably through the air, leaving her open for the speed-enhanced Fluttershy to get in close, switch over to strength, and smash her downward, sending her careening into the ground with a crash. This was quickly followed by Fluttershy and Golden Shine coming down on her with great speed in a double gravity-assisted blow; Shine's hit crushed nearly every darkness-composed rib and caved the ribcage inward, while Fluttershy's stomp all but pulverized the dark being's neck. Fluttershy then got off of her Dark Side, walked over directly in front of her, and knelt down face-to-face. Her eyes closed, and then snapped wide open while filled with her power, her unconquerable Will. The Dark-Side's eyes glazed over and their light faded, and soon its body dissolved away into nothingness. Fluttershy felt as her now-mindless Heart's Darkness reintegrated with her, and she filled herself with calmness and serenity to force it down to dormancy as it should be.

Fluttershy then pranced over to her mother for a congratulatory hug, as several feet away a glowing white magic rune-circle appeared on the ground.

**-Pinkie-**

Emotion-demons fell one by one as the stallion moved amongst them, wielding a pitchfork as a weapon with startling skill and precision. Nearby, his eldest daughter Isabelle – or "Inkie" as she liked to be called – aided him, the gray-furred girl using a pickaxe with the hilt decorated by tiny crystals from the geode she'd found as a child that had called forth her Cutie Mark. He noticed her tail give a twitch, and she immediately leapt to the side to avoid an attack from directly above by a flying emotion-demon, which then she struck between the eyes with her weapon, destroying. Clyde was, by now, used to the unique precognitive power that his wife had passed on to their children. Celestia knew it'd saved his hide more than once over the years.

A little ways away, Pinkie, Blinkie, and their mother had engaged Pinkie's Dark-Side in battle. The Dark-Side shared the girls' short-term precognition. The problem for her was that, against three opponents at once with the same ability, she couldn't always react fast enough to the cues in time to avoid or block every attack. They had been slowly but surely wearing her down. Avoiding a leg-sweep from Sue led to taking a right cross from Blinkie. Avoiding a headbutt from Blinkie resulted in taking an uppercut from Pinkie. And so on.

And then Inkie had joined in, leaving the last four emotion-demons to fall to Clyde. Sue backed off and allowed the younger, faster girls to wear down the last bit of the Dark-Side's defense. Soon, a blow from Pinkie left her Dark-Side unable to recover in time to avoid the next blow from Inkie, and so on and so forth, resulting in a devastating, nonstop barrage of blows from the three sisters. It ended with all three of them landing a rising punch at the same time, sending the Dark-Side into the air several feet and then crashing back down on her stomach. Pinkie walked over and stood on top of her, right forehoof placed on the back of the Dark-Side's neck.

"Had enough?" Pinkie asked her darkness.

"Fuck you…" was the dark being's snarled response.

Pinkie sighed and moved her right forelimb while applying pressure. There was a snap, and the Dark-Side went completely still. The Dark-Side's body dissolved away, and Pinkie closed her eyes and took deep breaths as she forced the darkness down. She opened her eyes, and she was good old Pinkie Pie again. She turned to her family and gave a huge grin, to which they responded with various-sized smiles of their own, her sisters then tackle-hugging her, the three girls giggling while their parents looked on.

Several feet away, a white circular rune appeared on the ground.

**-Twilight-**

Another directed pulse of gravity deflected a Dark Fireball away from Nightlight. A barrage of fireballs from Twilight and Velvet rained down on Twilight's Dark-Side; she brought up a shield, which cracked under the withering barrage, letting some of the damage through. Twilight then teleported in directly above her Dark-Side's head, coming down in a way to smash the dark being's head into the ground, and then teleporting away before she could retaliate. She warped in beside her mother. The two shared a look and nodded, and then placed their horns near each other's, both of them glowing with gathering power. A small ball of reddish fire appeared above them, steadily brightening and growing in power. Within several seconds, it started to shift to orange.

Twilight's Dark-Side was about to lash out and break their spell, when she suddenly felt an invisible force pulling on her. She look in the direction it was coming from, seeing Nightlight standing with his legs braced and head lowered, a small pitch-black sphere hovering just in front of the tip of his horn. The pull increased in power, leaving Twilight's Heart's Darkness bracing herself against the ground to avoid it. The ball of fire being conjured by Twilight and Velvet was now as big as a head and a yellowish-orange color.

Nightlight's spell increased further in power, until finally Twilight's Dark-Side could not resist any longer, being yanked helplessly through the air toward him. As she got close, he abruptly cut off the spell, spun around, and let her momentum carry her into a powerful double-kick that sent her rocketing in the opposite direction, tumbling to a stop over 50 feet away.

By now the ball of fire had become as big as a pony, and was a bright white with a slight tinge of blue – a sign of how much heat was being magically contained in it. Twilight and her mother braced themselves, pointed their horns – and the spell – at the Dark-Side, and let out one final pulse of magical power. The sphere of magical fire compressed to half the size of a head, becoming a brilliant shining blue, and then shot off through the air toward the Dark-Side at high speed.

The Dark-Side was unable to get out of the way in time. The hyper-compressed fireball impacted her, engulfing her in a huge, near-blinding explosion of intense heat and fire. She was vaporized instantly. Twilight felt the natural darkness return to her Heart, integrating seamlessly.

"I…" she spoke slightly breathlessly. "I didn't think I had it in me…"

"Combination spells…" Velvet replied. "You should see what your father and I can do if we have to."

A few feet away, a white circular magic rune appeared on the ground.

**-Trixie-**

Elemental blasts of all types flew every which way, as the family carved through emotion-demons effortlessly and bombarded Trixie's Heart's Darkness from every direction. A spinning fire-disk from Morrigan stunned her enough to leave her open to a lightning-charged lariat move from Trixie, which in turn knocked her into a burst of high-pressure water from Pixie. She landed in a heap, struggling to pick herself up, an unnatural growl coming from her throat as her reinforcement aura wavered.

"Everyone!" Morrigan shouted. "Let's end this!"

"Earth!" Nixie shouted.

"Fire!" Morrigan called out.

"Wind!" Cirrus shouted.

"Water!" Pixie cried.

"Lightning!" Trixie finished.

"By our power combined…" Morrigan spoke, her voice lightly echoing.

Trixie's Dark-Side could do nothing but stand in shock as she looked up, seeing a barrage of stones, a torrent of water, a serpentine column of fire, a slicing whirlwind, and a compressed, crackling ball of explosive lightning energy all coming at her at the same time.

Everyone: "FIVE ELEMENTS BARRAGE!-!-!"

The attacks all hit at once, combining into a tremendous explosion of elemental magical energy. The Dark-Side didn't have time to scream before her body ceased to exist. Trixie allowed her Lightning Aura to dispel, and felt as her now-mindless Darkness re-merged with her Heart, returning to 'sleep'. She breathed a sigh of relief as her mother, sisters, and brother walked over to her.

Before anything could be said, a white magical rune-circle appeared on the ground nearby. Trixie steeled herself and walked over to it, standing in the middle of it. She focused on the tiny, tiny bit of Ouranos' power that the equine deity had given her, and she felt it leave her and interface with the rune. The magic lashed out through the leylines connected to this nexus point and 'hit' Nightmare Calamity; at the same time, the barrier-field bubble ceased to be, returning Trixie and her family to real-space.

All across the city, six other nexus-points underwent the same process, six more bursts of Holy-class magic shooting through the leylines and hitting Nightmare Calamity, stunning and weakening him. There was an unearthly roar of pain and frustration that echoed through the city.

An arrow made of glowing magic appeared overhead, pointing Trixie toward Celestia's castle – or rather, toward the statue garden where Calamity waited.

"Let's go" Trixie said, and her family followed.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

The walks to the outside walls of the garden were pleasant as the girls made conversation with their families. Soon enough, they all reached the meeting point. Many introductions were made.

"…And this is… the ghost of my mother, Firefly…" Rainbow Dash finished, some sadness in her voice.

"_Um… Actually, dear…_" Firefly's spirit interrupted. "_I'm… not a ghost. The me you see now is an astral projection_."

A few of the group gasped lightly as they knew what this meant. Dash looked confused. "Huh?"

"An astral projection" Twilight explained "is where the user enters a unique meditative trance and literally projects their soul outside of their body to travel and interact elsewhere."

"…But… to do that would mean that…" A look of increasing shock grew on Dash's face. "Mom is…"

"_Still alive_" Firefly finished. "_Yes, dear, I am. I'm alone, I have no way to get home that I know of, I've lost a wing from Hurricane Epona,_" she extended her right wing, which upon closer look was more transparent than the rest of her, "_and I haven't the slightest idea where in the world I am, but I am still alive._"

Rainbow Dash stood in complete shock as it hit her. When it finally sank in, a few tears fell from her eyes. She tried to speak, but a light sob came out instead.

"Are there any noticeable landmarks where you are?" Spitfire asked. "What's the climate like? What are the star patterns?"

"_It's pretty much one big desert and a few caves that lead to a modestly-sized underground river. I don't pay any attention to star patterns; I was never any good at that kind of stuff._"

"Can you remember any of it?"

The interruption from Luna, who had been standing off to the side unnoticed for the past few minutes, made several of the group jump in surprise.

"The night sky is my domain" the princess said. "If I can hear – or better yet, see – any of it, I might be able to tell where you are."

Firefly nodded and walked over and into Luna. After a few seconds, she stepped back out. Luna closed her eyes as she sifted through the bit of information that was transferred. As Firefly never paid much attention, the details were vague and fuzzy, but… The red-orange star next to a yellow-white one at two-o-clock overhead at 3A.M., the tail-tip of Scorpia Major next to the wingtip of a Blue Swan visible at a low angle regardless of time of night…

"I've figured out your general area, I believe" Luna said. "I will send a search party after we have dealt with Calamity and his aftermath."

"_Thank you, Your Majesty…_" Firefly's spirit bowed to Luna. Dash had a look of unbridled joy on her face.

Celestia flew in, landing amongst the group. A pulse of tangible hatred radiated out from the huge dome of darkness encompassing most of the statue-garden, making most of those present shiver as if exposed to a horrible cold.

"I'm afraid that only the Element-Bearers, Luna, and myself can safely enter Calamity's realm" Celestia said. "Anyone else would be instantly torn apart mind, body, and soul."

Goodbyes and well-wishes were said, and the nine walked through the gates and approached the massive dome of darkness. They readied themselves, and stepped through.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

Darkness. Shifting, roiling black, violet, blue, and red everywhere they looked. Hunks of stone & earth floating through non-space, impossible patterns and hues racing across everywhere and nowhere, and at the "center" of it all a massive, vaguely-draconic creature with glowing red eyes that the nine floated through space towards.

"**LIMITED CREATURES OF MATTER AND REALITY**" a deep voice boomed in their thoughts. "**YOU FUMBLE IGNORANTLY THROUGH MY REALM, YOUR MINDS UTTERLY INCAPABLE OF TRULY UNDERSTANDING WHAT I HAVE WROUGHT AND WILL CREATE. I AM BEYOND MORTAL COMPREHENSION. THIS GALAXY WILL BE MINE. WHAT POSSESSES YOU TO FEEBLY ATTEMPT TO STAVE OFF TRUE CHAOS ETERNAL?**"

"The will to live that is inherent in all sapient beings everywhere" Celestia replied. "And the knowledge that they depend on us to save them from suffering unimaginable. Your existence is anathema to reality. For the sake of all that is, we _will _destroy you."

The seven Bearers of the Elements glowed with power, reaffirming their existence, transforming the hopes and wishes of the world into their strength.

(FINAL BOSS MUSIC: Kirby 64 – "02's Theme")

"**IF YOU WILL NOT EMBRACE THE DARKNESS WILLINGLY, IT SHALL BE FORCED UPON YOU. I SHALL PLUNGE THIS UNIVERSE INTO UNENDING DARKNESS AND INSANITY, STARTING WITH THIS WORLD… STARTING WITH YOU!**"

Three glowing red spheres of energy appeared around Nightmare Calamity. Each one broke apart into a hailstorm of crimson bolts of energy that rushed toward the nine heroes. They all broke formation and flew off in different directions… and each of them had a cluster of the bolts chasing them. They flitted about, trying to shake their pursuers to no avail. Celestia and Luna each threw up a shield spell which the storms of bolts chasing them impacted against harmlessly, and then cast shields to neutralize the bolt clusters pursuing the Element-bearers. The seven girls regrouped.

Luna was the first to strike at Calamity. She let loose with a barrage of star-shaped energy blasts, streaking through non-space toward the daemon. Calamity responded by raising one of his hands; in response, several of the massive chunks of stone and earth moved between him and the incoming blasts, intercepting them and being mostly destroyed by them. He waved his arm forward, and the rubble shot forward at the heroes at nearly the speed of sound. Twilight managed to teleport the other six girls and herself out of the way, while Celestia and Luna warped themselves to safety.

The "original" girls struck next. As Trixie cast a protective shield spell, they quickly grouped together, and after a few seconds the six-hued wave of magical energy shot forth from their Elements of Harmony, right toward Nightmare Calamity. The attack struck, and the daemon roared in pain and anger. When the attack subsided, however, Calamity was still alive, the spot in the center of his chest glowing red where the Harmony Elements had struck. The glow subsided, leaving a discolored grey behind. He was hurt, but still capable of action.

"**ARROGANT CREATURES! YOUR DEATHS SHALL BE INSTANTANEOUS, WHILE I SHALL SUFFER THE PROGRESS OF INFINITY!**"

Two barriers then encased him, the defenses powerful enough that Calamity could barely be seen inside them. From the center of the side facing the girls, there was a red glow… that became a _massive _beam of red and white energy shooting straight at them. The girls broke formation, getting distance between them and the beam of death; even with the distance they achieved before it passed, they felt the ambient heat spike up to uncomfortable levels, and that was with the active Harmony Elements protecting them.

Rainbow Dash moved next. Supercharged by her Harmony Element and the strength given to her by all of Ponyville, she held up her right forelimb as if she were a being with hands preparing to throw something. Lightning-type magical energy – her mother's deep blue and her own magenta – formed and then coalesced into a 30-foot-long ornate spear made of lightning magic. She threw it forward, and it shot toward the protected Calamity with incredible speed. It impacted the external barrier-shield, sending cascading ripples of power and transferred kinetic energy, and at the same time it transformed into a huge surge of lightning ripping across the barrier. In a few seconds, the barrier-shield shattered, leaving just a single barrier protecting Calamity.

Calamity's response was to summon six huge black crystals, which then shot toward the girls… and, upon getting close, each of them split into a deadly fusillade of thousands of razor-sharp crystals the size of a leg. Trixie, Twilight, and Rarity combined their magic and that of their Elements to form a huge, glowing white shield spell that blocked the barrage. Just when the trio started to waver, Celestia swooped in and let loose a wave of holy-fire that burned away the rest of the incoming crystals.

Twilight and Applejack moved forward next. Empowered by her Element, Applejack tapped into her latent Earth-style magic, and she & Twilight weaved it together with Twilight's supercharged Fire-style magic. After several seconds of preparation and charging, they let loose what appeared to be a huge dragon-snake made entirely of lava. The lava serpent crashed into Calamity's barrier, becoming a thick sheet of lava that covered most of the shield facing the heroes. Twilight then magically flash-froze the lava, forming thick rock that soon shattered… making the barrier it was coating shatter as well, leaving Nightmare Calamity unprotected.

As Rarity formed an intricate gem-style shield that deflected a firebomb from Calamity, the other six girls charged and then fired their Elements of Harmony. Again the six-colored beam struck Calamity square in the chest, causing him to roar out in rage and pain. This time, the glowing red took longer to cool into grey.

"_**ENOUGH!-! **_**I AM THE VANGUARD OF UNIVERSAL DESTRUCTION! I SHALL NOT BE DEFEATED BY MERE CHILDREN!**"

A giant plate of dark armor formed over the spot on Calamity's chest. He then formed three extra-strength barrier-shields around himself, completely hiding him from sight. All of the countless large hunks of stone and metal that were floating throughout the dark realm began randomly shooting about at dangerous velocities, forcing the Princesses and the Mane Seven to constantly take evasive action.

"Enough of this…" Luna snarled. From the tip of her horn came a small sphere, completely pitch-black. It shot up high, and then pulsed. Slowly at first, the massive pieces of rock and metal flying about the area started being drawn to it, magically-selective gravity holding them fast to it, forcing them to conform their shape to it. The rate of attraction steadily increased, as did the size of the pieces being pulled to it. Within a minute, every last piece of random stone and metal in the area had coalesced into a humongous sphere of rock. Luna gave a shout and threw her head downward, and the tremendous globe began a collision course with Calamity, its massive size obscuring the high speed at which it was traveling. The impact was devastating, and under this punishment the shield failed and shattered, the rubble hitting the second shield and then falling away.

Trixie and Fluttershy began charging their elemental magic, as did Rarity & Pinkie. After around half a minute, they fired – Trixie's lightning and Fluttershy's wind combined to form a whirling maelstrom of directed energy, while Rarity's water and Pinkie's wind became an ultra-high-pressure, tightly-focused water cannon. The two attacks impacted at the same time, straining to break the shield. Twilight, Applejack, and Dash unleashed waves of fire, stone, and lightning at the weakening barrier, which soon broke away under the onslaught.

Everyone's attention was drawn to a glowing light. They looked, and saw Celestia charging a small sphere of glowing fire so bright that it hurt to look at. It was a miniature star. Luna's eyes widened, and she telekinetically grabbed hold of the girls and flew away from Calamity at best speed, getting distance. Just as she reached a safe distance, Celestia let fly her attack and then teleported beside the others, raising her strongest shield around them and herself. The little ball of thermonuclear fusion impacted the final barrier-shield. There was a blinding flash, as a megatons-strong thermonuclear explosion engulfed Nightmare Calamity.

(BOSS MUSIC END)

When the light faded (the group's eyes having been protected by a spell from Luna), Calamity was unprotected, and his not-flesh was smoldering. The armor protecting his chest was cracked and broken but still in place. The seven Element-Bearers floated down to within a few hundred meters of him, staring him down with their glowing eyes.

(MUSIC START – Kingdom Hearts OST – "Beyond the Door")

"**HOW… HOW CAN YOU MORTALS DARE TO STAND AGAINST ME? DARKNESS AND CHAOS ARE THE TRUE NATURE OF EXISTENCE, AND YET YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO STAND AGAINST WHAT IS THE NATURAL STATE OF ALL THINGS…**"

"You're wrong, Nightmare" Twilight said. "I've seen enough things in my 20 years to fill a lifetime. Joy, laughter, friendship, love, redemption… So I know that, without a doubt… The natural state of things… the true nature of life… IS LIGHT!-!"

(Music at 0:35)

From the seven Elements of Harmony came a seven-colored beam of purity that cut through non-space in a fraction of a second – the Rainbow of Light. It hit Nightmare Calamity, passing through the chest armor like it wasn't even there. Calamity contorted and twisted and roared as the light began to cascade through his body, brilliant beams of seven colors tearing their way through him in every direction. Everywhere they shined, reality itself stilled and calmed, being healed.

(Music at 0:52)

In a flash of blinding light, Nightmare Calamity – and thus, both Nightmare and Discord – was completely, utterly annihilated. A wave of never-ending light blasted outward, enveloping everything. A distant observer would see the black and red dome surrounding Canterlot being pierced through from within by a brilliant glow. It then shattered and dissolved away into nothingness, the entire city being enveloped by the base of a huge column of light that shot up into the sky.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

Over in Ponyville, floodlights illuminated the area. In addition to the locals and the Army forces (including Spitfire, Soarin', and the main girls' families, who had returned down to Ponyville when the girls entered Calamity's realm), everyone who had been mutated or killed in Canterlot, in addition to every soldier that fell to the demon horde, had spontaneously reappeared, alive and well, in the town after the humongous pillar of light appeared. The pillar had faded away a short while ago. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened: the girls had succeeded in saving the planet.

But there had been no sign of them.

Celebration turned to anxiousness and worry as not a single thing was seen or heard of them since the pillar of light. The gathered families fretted, slowly starting to become convinced that their kin had saved the world at the cost of themselves.

(MUSIC: Mass Effect OST – "Victory")

Suddenly, approaching the town at a walking pace came a point of light. When the people looked closer, it was coming from the tip of Celestia's horn. Luna walked parallel to her several feet to the side… and in between them, the girls, exhausted but alive, walked with them. Instantly, a thunderous cheer rose up from the ponies gathered in town. A few wept with joy. Families and fans rushed forward to welcome the saviors of the world.

In-between the rushing ponies, Rainbow Dash saw the transparent figure of her mother's astral projection, who gave a beaming smile filled with pride, and then disappeared.

'I'll find you, mom' she thought. 'I promise.'

Dash's thoughts were interrupted as Scootaloo leapt at her, knocking her over and hugging her as tightly as she could. The parents and (where applicable) siblings of the other six showed up next, embracing their tired but victorious daughters/sisters.

"You know what this calls for?" Pinkie Pie shouted in her usual cheerful tone, Gummy now happily perched on her back. "This calls for the biggest party Ponyville's ever seen!-!"

Another cheer rang out in response; it was universally agreed that the saving of the planet called for a full-blown festival. Celestia and Luna smiled to each other and looked up to the stars. They, and only they, saw Ouranos smile and then fade from sight.

**-**_**STORY END**_**-**

A note: I looked EVERYWHERE, _ALL OVER THE DAMN INTERNET_, trying to find video of the original-series Rainbow of Light, which I have never actually seen. And I found _NOTHING_. So if my version was horribly, fans-frothing-at-the-mouth-with-rage wrong, I am sorry.


End file.
